Trans-European

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ADULT SABBATH SCHOOL BIBLE STUDY GUIDE

THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY FEET: THE BIBLE FOR TODAY

SEVENTH-DAY

ADVENTIST CHURCH

April

■

May

■

June 2007

*EAQ070401*

Where legally possible, offerings will go to these projects; otherwise special arrangement will be made with the

General Conference for distribution of funds based on the laws of the countries where these offerings are collected.

Thy Word Is a Lamp

Unto My Feet:

The Bible for Today

ADULT

SABBATH SCHOOL

BIBLE STUDY GUIDE

April

■

May

■

June 2007

* Maps not drawn to scale

INDIAN

OCEAN

CYPRUS

SUD

EGYPT

ISRAEL

LEBANON

KUWAIT

BAHRAIN

UNITED ARAB

EMIRATES

YEMEN

SYRIA

IRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMA

QATAR

JORDAN

UGA

NDA

Al Manamah

Baghdad

Amman

Kuwait City

Riyadh

Abu Dhabi

Sanaa

Nicosia

Cairo

Jerusalem

Beirut

Khartoum

Damascus

Disputed

Arua

Doha

AJIKISTAN

OMAN

PAKISTAN

INDIA

Islamabad

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

FINLAND

SWEDEN

NORWAY

HUNGARY

DENMARK

POLAND

GREECE

NETHERLANDS

IRELAND

YUGOSLAVIA

ALBANIA

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

ESTONIA

BOSNIA and

HERZEGOVINA

CROATIA

SLOVENIA

MACEDONIA

ICELAND

UNITED

KINGDOM

CRETE

Tirana

agreb

openhagen

Helsinki

Athens

Budapest

eykjavik

iga

aunas

Skopje

Amsterdam

Oslo

Warsaw

Stockholm

Tallinn

Dublin

Ljubljana

London

Belgrade

Sarajevo

ATLANTIC

CEAN

INLAND

WEDEN

NORWAY

DENMARK

POLAND

NETHERLANDS

IRELAND

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

STONIA

UNITED

KINGDOM

Copenhagen

Helsinki

iga

Vilnius

msterdam

Oslo

Warsaw

Stockholm

allinn

Dublin

ondon

Greenland

Iceland

Mission Projects

Our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help provide the

following projects:

● a church for the Ghanaian believers in Amsterdam, Netherlands

● vocational school and student center at Nile Union Academy,

Cairo, Egypt

● providing funds are available: permanent dormitories at Eyira

Adventist Vocational Academy in the South Sudan Field

For more information, visit www.adventistmission.org

Unions Churches Members Population

Adriatic 99 3,973 9,606,000

Baltic 84 6,548 7,060,000

British 231 24,907 64,420,000

Danish 47 2,649 5,525,000

Finland 73 5,215 5,246,000

Hungarian 116 4,615 10,086,000

Middle East 67 14,514 228,397,000

Netherlands 50 4,539 16,296,000

Norwegian 70 4,700 4,620,000

akistan 111 9,744 162,420,000

Polish 120 5,727 38,163,000

South-East European 209 8,290 16,601,000

edish Union

2,751 9,029,000

Greek Mission 8 460 11,100,000

Iceland Conference 6 563 295,000

Isr

ael Field

803 7,105,000

Totals

as of June 30, 2005 1,348 99,998 595,969,000

●

Thy Word Is a Lamp

Unto My Feet:

The Bible for Today

Contents

Editorial Assistants

Larie S. Gray

Tresa Beard

Pacific Press

Coordinator

Paul A. Hey

Art Director and Illustrator

Lars Justinen

Concept Design

Dev

er Design

Editorial Office 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904

Principal Contributor

Jonathan and Kathleen Kuntaraf

Editor

Clifford R. Goldstein

Associate Editor

Lyndelle Brower Chiomenti

Publication Managers

Soraya Homayouni Parish

Lea Alexander Greve

The

Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide

is prepared by the Office of the Adult

Bible Study Guide of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The

preparation of the guides is under the general direction of a worldwide Sabbath

School Manuscript Evaluation Committee, whose members serve as consulting edi-

tors. The published guide reflects the input of the committee and thus does not

solely or necessarily represent the intent of the author(s).

1 The Voice From Heaven—March 31–April 6 —————————6

2 The Final Word—April 7–13 ————————————————14

3 Bible Prophecy Fulfilled—April 14–20 ———————————22

4 The Bible Is Reliable—April 21–27 —————————————30

5 When the Rocks Cry Out—April 28–May 4 —————————38

6 The Bible and Science—May 5–11 —————————————46

7 The Word in Our Lives—May 12–18 ————————————56

8 Revelation of Hope—May 19–25 ——————————————64

9 The Bible and Health—May 26–June 1 ———————————72

10 The Bible and Happiness—June 2–8 ————————————80

11 Daily Wisdom—June 9–15 —————————————————88

12 Growing Through the Word—June 16–22 ——————————96

13 The Word of God Endures—June 23–29 ——————————104

Come visit us at our Web site at http://www.absg.adventist.org

As Seventh-day Adventist Christians

we believe that God reveals Himself to

us in this fallen world. Among all the

various ways He has done so, the Bible

is, we believe, the greatest expression

of that revelation available today—the

final and ultimate standard of truth

for a fallen world.

The Bible does, indeed, make claims about itself that very few

books ever do. Even more so, it comes with a massive amount of

evidence to back up those claims. It is self-authenticating; its

proof comes built right in.

It’s not just the incredible prophecies, however impressive; it’s

not just its historical accuracy, however authenticating; it’s not

just the revelation of God as revealed in its pages, however pow-

erful. Though all these have their role in showing that the Bible

is the Word of God, perhaps the greatest evidence for the Bible is

the influence and impact for good it has had and still continues

to have on the lives of those who apply its teaching to them-

selves. Despite all the evidence of prophecy, history, and so forth,

in some ways the most powerful proof is found in the Bible’s

amazing ability to bring hope, joy, and promise to people thou-

sands of years after it was first written. For many centuries now,

people all over the world have found in the Bible the answers to

their deepest needs. And why not? After all, it’s the greatest rev-

elation of the only One who can meet those needs—our Creator

and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

With such claims made for the Bible, it’s no wonder that peo-

ple have challenged its authenticity and reliability. Is it truly the

Word of God? Does the Creator of the universe really speak

through its pages? How reliable are the texts? What scientific evi-

dence, if any, backs up its claims? What does archaeology say

ible

People all over the

world have found

in the Bible the

answers to their

deepest needs.

regarding the Bible? And even if we believed that the Book is

inspired, is it applicable to us who live in the twenty-first cen-

tury? And if it is, how and why?

These, and more, are some of the questions our Bible study

guide for this quarter will address. We just as easily could have

titled it “Why I believe in the Bible,” for in it the authors show

why they do trust the Bible and have made it the spiritual and

moral guide of their lives.

Even more important, during this quarter we seek to show just

how relevant the Bible remains for us today—pretty impressive

for a book whose latest sections were written about seventeen

hundred years before doctors finally discovered that it might be a

good idea to wash their hands before surgery. Again, it’s in this,

the Bible’s power to change our lives for good, that we find some

of the greatest proof of its relevancy and importance.

Jonathan Kuntaraf, also known as Oey Giok Kun, is a native of

Indonesia. At the time of this writing he was associate director of

the Sabbath School/Personal Ministries Department at the

General Conference. He and his wife, Dr. Kathleen Liwidjaja (an

associate in the Health and Temperance Department at the

General Conference), have two grown children.

for

oday

Got

Questions?

Sabbath School

University

has answers!

Sabbath School University is a

28-minute discussion of the Adult

Sabbath School Bible Study Guide. SSU

discusses the content and strategies to

enrich your Sabbath School with

fellowship, outreach, Bible study,

and missions. Sabbath School leaders,

don’t miss this weekly broadcast on

Hope Channel.

www.hopetv.org

ssimistic, that was how I felt arriving in the Netherlands. I expected to ﬁ

only a post-modern people, no one interested in God or the Bible. To my surprise, I

discovered people on ﬁre for God, desperate to reach out into the secular darkness.

One congregation I visited faces an immense challenge. Immigrants, mostly from

Ghana in West Africa, comprise this 200-member congregation. Their dream is to

own a church building from which ministry efforts could be expanded. Unfortunately,

low individual income cripples any effort to buy or build. A rented day-care facility

is all they have, and the costs are prohibitive, more than they would pay on a

mortgage—if one could be gotten.

The Adventist Church in the Netherlands is working to help these wonderful

people ﬁnd a church home. And it makes me proud to see Adventists lending a hand

to other Adventists in need. Our support of each other is essential to telling the

world about Jesus.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth

Sabbath Offering will assist this

congregation in buying a home.

My mission offerings will make a

difference for an amazing group of

believers, and that’s a great feeling.

For me, it’s personal.

L ESSON

*March 31–April 6

The Voice From

Heaven

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’

s Study:

Gen. 3:8, 9; 2 Sam. 12:1-7;

Isa. 59:2; Jer. 38:14-19; Ezekiel 4; Amos 3:7; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20,

21; 3:1.

Memory Text:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through

the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last

days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all

things, and through whom he made the universe”

(Hebrews 1:1, 2,

NIV).

Key Thought:

Since the fall of humanity, the Lord has been com-

municating with us through various means.

ow much is a human worth? From a purely chemical stand-

point, quite a bit. According to various estimates, the value of

the proteins, enzymes, RNA, DNA, amino acids, and bio-

chemicals within the human body may make a person worth, literally,

millions of dollars.

Of course, our true worth can be understood only through the life

and death of Jesus. If our value wasn’t infinite in the sight of God,

such an inf

inite price w

ould not have been paid for our redemption.

How, though, has the Lord revealed to us the good news of our

th and our redemption?

This week we begin by looking at the vari-

ous means in which God has been communicating with us.

Yes, God is still talking to us sinful and degraded creatures. The cru-

cial question is, Will we listen to what He is saying?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 7.

SUNDAY

April 1

God’s Search for Humanity

Before sin, Adam and Eve were in direct communication with God;

after sin, that communication was broken. They no longer could speak

face to face with their Maker. It was not because God had changed,

but because Adam and Eve’s relationship to Him had.

Read

Isaiah 59:2. What principle seen here helps explain what sin has

done to our relationship with God?

____________________________________________________________________

Because of sin, Adam and Eve were unable to stand at the presence

of the Lord (see Gen. 3:8). They were afraid of God. Sin had driven

them from the Creator. Moreover, the sin that separated humankind

from the Creator also has separated nations, kingdoms, tribes, com-

munities, churches, and families from each other. This is an unfortu-

nate fact of life that we all have experienced, one way or another.

Read

Genesis 3:9. What is the significance of this verse? Why would

God, who knows all things, ask this question?

____________________________________________________________________

How ironic that we sometimes hear such phrases as “Man’s search

for God.” The truth is the opposite, actually: God is searching for us.

He is seeking us, using all kinds of ways and means to lead us to sal-

vation. From Genesis to Revelation, from Moses to John, the Bible

reveals God’s search for humanity; it shows His desire to touch us, to

let us know He is there and that He loves us despite our sins

(Isa. 5:

1-5, Matt. 23:37).

“Where are you?” The question isn’t so much about where we

are physically as it is about our spiritual well-being. Where are

we in relationship to our Creator and Redeemer, who has done

so much for us? If you were to hear the question “Where are

you?” from the Lord, how would you answer, and why?

MONDAY

April 2

God and the Prophets

Read

Amos 3:7. What does that tell us about the importance of

prophets to the human race?

____________________________________________________________________

From the earliest days—indeed, from the time that direct communi-

cation was broken—God used prophets to communicate with us. The

prophets’ work consisted of numerous things: They revealed both

comings of Jesus; they showed that God values human beings enough

to choose from among them prophets to represent Him; they were the

means by which the Lord revealed His love and character to His peo-

ple; they sent warnings about impending judgments. The prophets

also revealed the plan of salvation. And the Lord used the prophets to

write the Bible.

Read

2 Samuel 12:1-7, Jeremiah 38:14-19, Ezekiel 4, 2 Peter 3:1. How

do the prophets deliver their messages?

____________________________________________________________________

Compare

2 Chronicles 20:20 and Luke 16:31. Here we see two atti-

tudes toward the prophets displayed. In a sense, we are in one of

the two camps depicted here. Either we believe in what God says to

us (often through His prophets) or we don’t. In the end, our atti-

tude toward the prophets merely reflects our attitude toward Him.

How

do we know if we really believe? Can we be deceived into thinking

we believe when we really don’t, as were many of the leaders in

Israel all through the nation’s history?

The answer is easy. Jesus said it numerous times. “If you love Me,

keep My commandments” (John 14:15, NKJV); “And why call ye me,

Lord

, Lord

, and do not the things w

hich I sa

y?”

(Luke 6:46).

As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we say that we believe in

the writings of the prophets. Do we really? Have your actions in

the past w

eek r

lected belief or unbelief, faith or lack of faith?

What’s the only way you can answer this question correctly? If

you could do something over, what would it be?

TUESDAY

April 3

The Revelation Through Jesus Christ

While the revelation of God through His prophets is the most com-

mon method, the coming of Jesus Christ in this world is the greatest

and most complete revelation of God ever given. After all, Jesus was

God, here in the flesh. What more could we ask for?

Although Jesus came in a different form from what people had

expected, His life and His teaching demonstrated to humanity the will

of God. People who lived in the time of Christ looked for greatness to

satisfy their physical expectations. They looked for power instead of

humility, for majesty and not meekness. However, the coming of Jesus

faithfully revealed the true character of God the Father.

How

do the following texts show how Jesus fully revealed God?

Matt. 11:27

____________________________________________________________________

John 1:14, 18

____________________________________________________________________

John 14:8-11

____________________________________________________________________

2 Cor. 4:6

____________________________________________________________________

Heb. 1:1-3

____________________________________________________________________

Based on John 14:8-11 we know that those who have seen Him have

seen the Father, because Jesus and the Father are “in” each other. Their

intimate relationship is much more than that of a master and a disci-

ple. The words that Jesus speaks are more than those of a mere human

being; they are a revelation of the actions of God Himself. Therefore,

when we become acquainted with Jesus, we become acquainted with

God, the Father, as well. The best way to know God’s love and His

goodness is to know Jesus Christ personally.

If you claim to know Jesus, how would you answer this question:

What is Jesus like? Be prepared to share your answer with the

class on Sabbath.

WEDNESDAY

April 4

God Speaks Today

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:

and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).

We have discussed divine communication through the prophets and

through Jesus Christ. However, divine communication has not been

confined to biblical times only.

In what

way does God reveal Himself to us?

Job 12:7-10

____________________________________________________________________

Psalm 107:1-8

____________________________________________________________________

John 4:16-18, 26

____________________________________________________________________

John 5:39

____________________________________________________________________

Phil. 4:9

____________________________________________________________________

2 Tim. 1:5

____________________________________________________________________

The above texts clearly show that God never intended for us to be

without certainty regarding the purpose of life. He made certain that

we could know the truth and the means of salvation. God has revealed

Himself through nature, science, the Bible, Jesus, divine providence in

our liv

es, human relationships, and the Holy Spirit. He also reveals

Himself through the image of God reflected in those who have dedi-

cated their li

es to Him.

What about you? How has God been communicating with you

lately? The more important question, however, is, How well are

ou listening?

Again, you can know the answer easily simply by

asking yourself, Am I doing what the Lord is commanding me

to,

or not?

Ther

e’s your answer.

THURSDAY

April 5

God Speaks Through the Bible

Read

2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20, 21. Summarize in your own

words the basic message of these two texts. What should they be

saying to each of us?

____________________________________________________________________

In many cases, the Lord specifically asked the prophets to write

down His messages; many of them have been preserved. Those pre-

served writings are in the Bible. For example, “Moses wrote all the

words of the Lord”

(Exod. 24:4; see also Exod. 34:27, Lev. 26:46).

Joshua was commissioned to write (Josh. 24:26). The Lord also asked

Jeremiah to write a book containing the words He would give him.

Years later the prophet Daniel (Dan. 9:2) tells of his reading

Jeremiah’s message and how the Lord had promised deliverance for

God’s people after the 70 years’ captivity. Daniel himself was told to

write a book especially for those living at “the time of the end”

(12:4).

Thus the Lord reveals Himself through the Bible. As the written mes-

sage, the Bible is an expression of God’s will.

It is interesting that the word Bible is not found in the Bible. It comes

from the Latin word biblia, “books,” which comes from the Greek

word

biblos, meaning “a book.” The Holy Bible therefore means “the

holy books.” This is indeed appropriate, because the Bible is composed

of many books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.

Despite a great deal of diversity in style and form, from the first

book to the last, the Bible speaks about a loving God, the Creator of

the universe, who reaches out to His sinful creatures. The theme of

God’s love is the focus of the Bible, which is seen particularly through

Christ, who came into this world, lived as a human being, and died on

Calvary. This is the greatest truth of the universe. All major Bible

truths, therefore, should be studied from this perspective.

What role has the Bible played in your relationship to God?

What changes might you need to make so that the Bible could

have an even greater impact in your walk with Jesus?

FRIDAY

April 6

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “The Creation,” pp. 44–51; “The

Temptation and Fall,” pp. 52–62; “The Plan of Redemption,”

pp. 63–70 in Patriarchs and Prophets; “Introduction,” pp. v–xii in The

Great Controversy.

“Jesus met the people on their own ground, as one who was

acquainted with their perplexities. He made truth beautiful by pre-

senting it in the most direct and simple way. His language was pure,

refined, and clear as a running stream. His voice was as music to those

who had listened to the monotonous tones of the rabbis. But while His

teaching was simple, He spoke as one having authority. This charac-

teristic set His teaching in contrast with that of all others. The rabbis

spoke with doubt and hesitancy, as if the Scriptures might be inter-

preted to mean one thing or exactly the opposite. The hearers were

daily involved in greater uncertainty. But Jesus taught the Scriptures

as of unquestionable authority. Whatever His subject, it was presented

with power, as if His words could not be controverted.”—Ellen G.

White,

The Desire of Ages, p. 253.

Discussion Questions:

● God has never given up on us. What are the implications of

this fact as we deal with our relatives, friends, or neighbors who

belong to the unchurched community? How can we have the

never-give-up spirit in reaching out to others?

● Discuss your answers to Tuesday’s question. What things do

you see in common? What are the differences? What can you

learn from one another?

● What can you say to someone who claims that he or she is

earnestly seeking to know God and His will? What practical

things can you say to help him or her hear the voice of God?

● Share various encounters in which God spoke to you in a pow-

erful manner. What happened? How did you know for sure that

it was the Lord? Did you have any means to test the experience

to know if it truly was of God? If so, what were those means?

tor

INSIDE

Walking by Faith

by PAULINE NGELO

I am the youngest of 12 children in a Kenyan family. My family

attended church, but I could not see where their religion changed them.

My parents often drank and fought. Then my brother began attending the

Adventist church. He shared his faith with us, and I started attending

church with him.

In high school my parents sent me to a religious boarding school. I

learned that students from the Adventist University of Eastern Africa in

Baraton came to our school to hold services one Sabbath a month. I

attended and was impressed that these students knew their Bible and

loved God. They shared their faith and encouraged us to stand up for

Jesus. I joined the baptismal class, and at the end of the year I was bap-

tized.

But then I faced new problems. My school no longer allowed the stu-

dents from Baraton to lead our worships. So we were on our own. Then

the headmaster told us we could no longer worship together on Sabbaths.

We met in our dormitory rooms to read our Bibles and pray together.

We faced other problems. We could not make up school work or exams

we missed on Sabbaths, and the headmaster refused to help us when final

exams were scheduled on Sabbath. We prayed, and God helped us. We

passed. However, the next year we were told to give up our Sabbath wor-

ship or leave the school. I chose to leave.

My brother helped me to find a school where I could keep the Sabbath.

I finished high school and enrolled at the Adventist university. I had to

stop school to work in order to pay my school fees, but now I am com-

pleting my studies. Just think, I, the youngest and least in my family, am

the first to complete a university degree. Just as the witness of former stu-

dents at Baraton changed my life, I have

sought to encourage other young people who

face difficult times to trust Him, for He shall

bring their desires to pass.

Our mission offerings help support this

school and hundreds of others around the

world. You can have a part in their ministry.

ULINE

NGELO

(left) w

as a student at the Univer

sity of

Eastern Africa in Baraton, Kenya, when she shared her

testimony.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

eb site:

www

.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*April 7-13

The Final Word

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Matt. 4:4-10; 21:42;

22:29; 26:54, 56; Gal. 1:11, 12; James 2; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; 3:16.

Memory Text:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for

teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so

that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good

work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, NIV).

Key Thought:

From where does the Bible derive its authority?

e all live under one final authority or another, whatever it

happens to be. As Christians, we believe that the final

authority is God, whose will is expressed in the Bible.

Hence, the Bible is the final Word.

But why should any one of us put ourselves under the authority of

a book? The answer is that the Bible isn’t just a book; it is, instead, the

Word of God.

Thus, by virtue of who its Author is, the Lord God, the Creator of

the heavens and the earth, the Book comes with its divine authority

built in. After all, who has authority over God? No one. That’s why the

Bible has to be the foundational and final Word.

This week we’ll take a look at the authority of the Scripture. What

does the Scripture say about itself? What claims does it make about

itself and its origins? How did the Bible writers view other books of

the Bib

le?

And, most important, what does Jesus Himself have to say

about the Scriptures? After all, He—the Lord Himself—would have,

no doubt, the final word on the final Word.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 14.

SUNDAY

April 8

The Word of the Lord

The Bible writers made incredible claims about the books they were

writing. Phrases used to describe the original sources of their mes-

sages were expressed as “the Lord has spoken” (Isa. 1:2, NIV), “this

is what the Lord says” (Amos 1:3, NIV), “the word of the Lord that

came . . .” (Mic. 1:1), or “ ‘this is what the Lord has revealed to me’ ”

(Jer. 38:21, NIV).

The Old Testament writers testify that their messages came directly

from God. It is “the word of the Lord” that came to such Old

Testament writers as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, and others (Jer.

1:1, 2, 9; Ezek. 1:3).

Read

2 Samuel 23:2; Ezekiel 2:2; 11:5, 24; Micah 3:8. What com-

mon thread runs through these texts?

____________________________________________________________________

Read

Luke 1:70 and 2 Peter 1:19-21. What does the New Testament

say concerning the inspiration of the Old Testament?

____________________________________________________________________

Read

Romans 4:3 and Galatians 1:11, 12. What was Paul’s conviction

concerning the Scriptures? What authority does Paul say lies

behind the gospel he preached?

____________________________________________________________________

Scattered over the long centuries, all these men, regardless of the

vast differences in their circumstances and background, testified to the

same thing: that the messages they were writing weren’t their own but

that they were moved by the power of God, who commanded them to

write what He was telling them.

If we believe the prophets, that they were inspired by God, what

practical implications does that belief have for our daily lives?

That is, how well does your life reflect your belief in the author-

ity of Scriptur

What things,

if an

, have you done in the past

24 hour

s that violated the clear teaching of the Bible?

MONDAY

April 9

God-breathed

Read

2 Timothy 3:16. Where does Paul place the origin and author-

ity of Scripture?

The Greek word for “inspiration” in 2 Timothy 3:16 means literally

“God-breathed.” It clearly indicates that the Scriptures originated

from God. God enabled His messengers, prophets, and apostles to

grasp and then communicate that which He revealed to them in a

trustworthy and authoritative fashion.

Keeping

in mind the above text, especially the definition of “in-

spiration,” read Genesis 2:7 and Psalm 33:6. What commonality

do you find between these texts? What message should this give to

us about the authority of the Bible?

____________________________________________________________________

The same creative power that brought the world into existence was

also behind the origins of Scripture! Dwell on the implications of this

amazing truth.

The Lord communicated His Word through various means. Besides

revealing Himself in visions and dreams, He sent messages in the

form of direct appearance

(Exod. 3:2-7), through an angel (Dan. 8:15,

16), or through eyewitnesses (1 John 1:1-3).

Regardless of how God communicated to them, the writers of the

Bible were not acting merely as writing machines. God did not push

them as He would keys on a typewriter to produce His message. Each

writer had his own writing style; these differences are seen all through

the Bible. The crucial point is that these messages were not their own;

they were writing down what was delivered to them by God. They

were His messages, not their messages

(2 Sam. 23:2, Amos 3:8).

As a result of this divine revelation, the Bible also is called “the

book of the Lord”

(Isa. 34:16), “the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1), “the

oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2), “the word of Christ” (Col. 3:16), and “the

good word of God” (Heb. 6:5).

Compare the various writing styles found in Scripture. For

example, compare Paul to John, Isaiah to Moses, or Isaiah to

ohn.

Does one speak mor

e clearly to you than others? If so,

why? Also, what might be God’s reason for allowing the author’s

wn writing style to come thr

ough in w

hat is His

Word?

TUESDAY

April 10

Christ’s View of the Scriptures

Today there are all sorts of views about Scripture, about its author-

ity, validity, role, and so forth. Unfortunately, many within

Christianity don’t view the Bible as the kind of authority it ought to

be.

What authority is that? Well, let’s go to the ultimate Authority

Himself, Jesus. How did He view Scripture?

What

do the following texts tell us about how Christ viewed the

authority of Scripture? Matt. 4:4-10; 21:42; 22:29; 26:54, 56; Mark

2:25; 12:36; Luke 4:21.

____________________________________________________________________

Those texts are but a few that reveal how truthful and authoritative

Jesus’ view of Scripture was. Jesus believed in the story of Creation

(Mark 10:6), of Noah and the Flood (Matt. 24:37-39), and of Jonah

and the large fish (Matt. 12:39-41). He also referred to the creation of

the first couple (Matt. 19:4), and He quoted Genesis 2:24 in Matthew

19:5, which speaks about the original purpose of marriage.

Read

Luke 24:25-27 and John 10:35. What did He say about His

endorsement and acceptance of the Old Testament as a whole?

Jesus Himself verified His own mission by using scriptures. “ ‘For

if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.

But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My

words?’ ”

(John 5:46, 47, NKJV). After His resurrection, on the road

to Emmaus, Jesus quoted Scripture to clarify the importance of His

ministry. “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He

expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning

Himself ”

(Luke 24:27, NKJV). Throughout His life on earth, Jesus

used Scripture, spoke from Scripture, promoted Scripture, uplifted

Scripture, and interpreted Scripture. “Jesus is the true Interpreter of

Holy Scripture. His message is our key to unlock the correct meaning

of the Old Testament. . . . Christ’s use of Israel’s Scriptures is our

model of bib

lical interpretation. Our guiding principle is based on the

conviction that the redemptive activity of God in the history of Israel

reached its fulfillment in Christ.”—Hans LaRondelle,

How to

Understand the End-Time Prophecies of the Bible (Sarasota, Fla.: First

Impressions, 1997), p. 13.

WEDNESDAY

April 11

Apostles and the Scriptures

The New Testament writers also showed full confidence in the

Scriptures.

Read

James 2. In what ways does he show his belief in the authority

of the Old Testament?

____________________________________________________________________

In the book of Romans alone, Paul quotes more than forty times

directly from the Old Testament, and chapters are essentially built upon

quotations or allusions from the Old Testament scriptures. He quotes

from Isaiah at least twenty-five times. Peter did the same thing in his

books. All the epistles have a strong foundation in the Old Testament

scriptures

(see also Matt. 1:23, 3:3, Heb. 10:7, 1 John 3:12).

The New Testament authors have confidently assured us of their

conviction regarding the authority of Scripture

(2 Tim. 3:16). In his

admonition to the rich, as stated in James 1:11, James used Isaiah

40:6, 7 and Psalm 103:15. The apostle Peter expressed his confidence

in the Old Testament prophecies with emphatic words in 2 Peter 1:21.

He was alluding to the Old Testament

(Exod. 12:5) when he said in

1 Peter 1:19 that we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

When Paul spoke about the gospel in Romans 1:17, he used the

underlying principle of the gospel as found in Habakkuk 2:4. In

describing humanity’s sinful nature

(Rom. 3:10-12), the apostle makes

reference to Psalm 14:1-3. When Paul spoke to the Jews in Rome, he

said, “ ‘The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through

Isaiah the prophet . . .’ ” (Acts 28:25, RSV).

The apostles were solidly convicted that the Scriptures were the

Word of God. At Pentecost Peter said, “ ‘This Scripture had to be ful-

filled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David’ ”

(Acts 1:16, NKJV). Paul also said, “When you received the word of

God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of

men, but as it is in truth, the word of God”

(1 Thess. 2:13, NKJV).

What forces exist in your culture that work against having the

kind of trust in the Scriptures as depicted in today’s and yester-

day’s lessons? How can you recognize those forces? Even more

important, what can you do to help protect yourself, and others,

against them?

THURSDAY

April 12

Unity Amid Diversity

Read

2 Peter 3:16. What is Peter referring to as Scripture?

____________________________________________________________________

With Peter’s reference to Paul’s writings as Scripture, we see inter-

nal evidence for the validity of both Testaments; both were considered

the Word of God (see also 1 Thess. 2:13). And despite some vast dif-

ferences in the backgrounds and authors of the Bible, there’s also an

incredible unity found within both.

A span of a thousand years covers the writings of the Old

Testament. There was, then, a gap of about five hundred years when

no Bible books were written, at least not until the birth of the New

Testament church. The books of the New Testament were started and

completed in the last half of the first century A.D. Thus, the Bible took

more than a millennium and a half to be completed.

Read

the following texts: Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew

22:36-40, John 13:35, 1 Corinthians 13. What great unifying

theme appears here?

____________________________________________________________________

One of the strongest evidences that the Bible was prepared under

divine direction is its unity. Although the writers came from diversified

backgrounds, its content has one predominant purpose. The Bible was

written by kings, a prime minister, shepherds, fishermen, prophets,

priests, a publican, a physician, and many other people with different

occupations—but all of them wrote about the same God. Some books

are historical; some are prophetic. Some writers wrote in poetry; oth-

ers in prose. Some books are missionary reports; others are church let-

ters or personal correspondence. However, each speaks about the same

ving and caring God; each one informs us about the same plan of sal-

vation; and each one uplifts the same standard of righteousness. All

look forward to the same eternal reward. This is not coincidence. It all

shows that the Bible writers have one Source of inspiration.

What common theme in Scriptur

e is y

our fa

orite? Which

speaks to your heart the best? Go through a few books in both

Testaments and pull out texts that share this common theme.

Bring them to class on Sabbath.

FRIDAY

April 13

Further Study:

“The Word of God,” pp. 11–21 in Seventh-day

Adventists Believe . . . (2005 ed.); Ellen G. White, “The Inspiration of

the Prophetic Writers,” pp. 15–23 in Selected Messages, book 1; “The

Primacy of the Word,” pp. 29–33 in

Selected Messages, book 3.

“The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God’s mode of

thought and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not

represented. . . . The writers of the Bible were God’s penmen, not His

pen. Look at the different writers. It is not the words of the Bible that

are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the

man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the

influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words

receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is dif-

fused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and

will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God.”—Ellen G.

White,

Selected Messages, book 1, p. 21.

“The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human

hands; and in the varied style of its different books it presents the

characteristics of the several writers.”—Ellen G. White, The Great

Controversy, p. v.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, share your responses to Thursday’s question.

● What other sources of authority can be in competition with

the Bible? Identify these sources (government, media, science,

culture, etc.), and then as a class talk about what you can do to

help balance these sources with the Bible while, at the same time,

accepting the Bible as the final authority in your life.

● No doubt there are some things in Scripture that are difficult

to understand. Why should that not be surprising when one con-

siders what this book is about and the themes it deals with? What

can you do to help one another maintain faith in the Scriptures

as the Word of God, despite some things in it that can be hard to

grasp?

tor

INSIDE

Breaking Satan’s Chains: Part 1

by OLEG FARKHUTDINOV

I was serving a sentence in a maximum security prison for crimes I had

committed. I hated myself for being in prison, for committing the crimes

that I had. At age 30 I had spent nearly a third of my life in prison. Alcohol

and drugs had dulled my sense of right and wrong. But sometimes, in my

deepest and most thoughtful moments, my conscience spoke to me. But

the words I heard were neither comforting nor reassuring.

When I was released from prison, I returned to my wife and young son.

But the joy of reunion could not bring peace to my heart or stop the down-

ward spiral of my life. Hardly had I spoken the promise to quit drinking

and taking drugs when I found myself searching for any drink or a drug to

dull the ache and forget the pain. When I tried to quit, the addictions

roared back, enslaving me. And when my wife tried to stop me from get-

ting drugs, I beat her.

Once again I awoke in a stinking prison.

What crime am I accused of

now? Which part of my past have they uncovered this time? I wondered.

When the judge sentenced me to three more years of prison, I wondered

what other crimes they would discover even as I paid for this crime.

My fear turned my mind to God, and I pleaded, “God, help me!”

Someone gave me a New Testament, and I began reading it. There I found

some answers to my search for meaning. Sometimes as I read I cried like

a child and rejoiced like an adult. Then one day I gave up. I turned my

life—whatever was left of it—over to God.

Jesus freed me from the fear that had dogged my past and replaced it

with hope that He had good things planned for my future. Prison became

my Bethel; here I saw a staircase to heaven and here I got sick in Christ,

died with Him and came to live in Him.

Then my mother came to visit. She was crying when I entered the visi-

tors’ area. “Poor Mother! I have brought you so much grief. How many

prisons have you had to visit because of me?” My words only made her

cry even more. She told me that she had saved her pension for four months

to bring me some money, but two days earlier someone broke in and took

the money. She started sobbing again.

Suddenly the spirit of revenge made my blood boil. I wanted to get out

of prison and find the people who had hurt my mother. I wanted revenge.

(Continued next week)

OLEG FARKHUTDINO

ks in prison ministries in the Southern Union Conf

ence of the

Euro-Asia Division.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

eb site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*April 14-20

Bible Prophecy Fulfilled

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Isa. 52:13–53:12, Daniel

2, Matt. 24:24, John 13:19.

Memory Text:

“ ‘Remember the former things, those of long

ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none

like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient

times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will

do all that I please’ ”

(Isaiah 46:9, 10, NIV).

Key Thought:

Biblical prophecy remains a powerful factor in

helping establish our faith.

very year people seek expert advice on how various stocks will do.

Yet, in the end the experts can tell them everything about the stock

except the one thing everyone wants to know: what it will do in

the future.

God, though, knows the future. He has proved that to us, again and

again, by some of the incredible prophecies in the Bible. Many of these

prophecies were written well in advance of the predicted events. And,

sure enough, time and again the events happened just as the Lord said in

the prophecy. We know this because today, looking back over history, we

see the prediction in the Bible, and then we can see that the prediction

came true. “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His

secret to His servants the prophets”

(Amos 3:7, NKJV).

Having seen that these past predictions were so accurate, we can trust

the Lord on the prophecies y

et future, such as the g

reatest future

prophec

y of all: the second coming of Jesus.

This week we’ll take a look at some of the great prophecies in

Scripture. What can we learn from them? What is the principle behind

prophec

y? How does prophecy help us learn to trust in the Bible as the

Word of God?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 21.

SUNDAY

April 15

Prophetic License

In Hebrew the verb naba means “to prophesy.” It carries the idea of

someone pouring forth words with fervor or inspiration. The noun

nabi means a spokesperson, a prophet, a person authorized to speak

for another (see Exod. 6:28-30, 7:1). Another word used in the Bible

for someone with the prophetic gift is seer, translated from two dif-

ferent Hebrew words, each with the meaning “to see.” Prophets, it

seems, have been given the ability to prophesy regarding things that

ordinary people might not see. Thus, not only do prophets see what

others might not—they are called by God to speak those things, often

with fervor and might, as well.

Read

Matthew 24:24. What warning about prophets is Jesus giving to

us? What’s implied in those words?

Jesus’ warning about false prophets can be understood to contain

the idea that true ones will exist, as well. After all, if we were to reject

all prophets—that is, reject the gift altogether—there would be no

need of the warning about false ones.

Read

Matthew 24:32, 33 and John 13:19. What principle about how

prophecy should work is revealed here?

____________________________________________________________________

With these verses Jesus showed us that prophecy is not just about

being able to tell the future. Instead, prophecy is given to strengthen

our faith in God and His Word after the events have occurred. The

more we see the fulfillment of the prophecy, the more we believe that

the Bible really comes from the Lord.

There are various kinds of prophecies. One kind has to do with the

predictions of a coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Others have

to do with the future of the Israelites and of various nations; others

deal with the end of the world, and even beyond.

Think o

ver the role that prophecy has played in your own walk

with the Lord. What lessons about prophecy have you learned

over time? What words of advice or caution would you give to a

new Christian or to someone studying prophecy for the first

time

, regarding this wonderful gift?

MONDAY

April 16

Early Prophecies

“Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe

his prophets, so shall ye prosper” (2 Chron. 20:20).

Beginning even in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we can see

that prophecy plays an important role in the history of God’s work

with fallen humanity.

Look

up the following texts. What was prophesied, and how and when

were those prophecies fulfilled?

Gen. 3:15

____________________________________________________________________

Gen. 6:13

____________________________________________________________________

Gen. 12:1-3

____________________________________________________________________

Gen. 15:13, 14

____________________________________________________________________

Gen. 18:10

____________________________________________________________________

It’s easy for us now, looking back, to see just how accurately those

prophecies were fulfilled. But place yourself in the position, say, of

Noah, who was told that water from the sky was going to wipe out the

earth, even though, according to Ellen White, prior to that time it had

never even rained! (See

Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 96, 97.) Or of

Abraham and Sarah, that she would one day be the mother of their

child when she was long past child-bearing age. It was surely a great

test of faith on their part (Heb. 11:8-11) to trust God concerning the

events that He said would come to pass.

What pr

omises of God are you waiting to see fulfilled? What

lessons can you learn from past examples of Bible characters

ho trusted in God’

s promises that can help you learn to trust

Him,

as w

ell?

TUESDAY

April 17

The Prophecy of Daniel 2

Review

the prophecy of Daniel 2. What does it teach us about the

power of God to foretell the future?

World history supports the accuracy of this amazing prophecy.

Babylon’s golden kingdom ruled the world from 605 to 539 B.C.

Babylon’s influence was greatly extended, and it became the dominant

power in the ancient Near East. Today the ruins of the city of Babylon

are located in Iraq, 70 miles south of Baghdad. Not only did the Bible

predict the fall of Babylon (Jer. 51:49, 53), it clearly stated who was

to direct the campaign against Babylon (Isa. 45:1-4). Cyrus and his

army were at the gates of Babylon about one hundred seventy-five

years after the prophecy was given.

The Medes and Persians ruled the world from 539 B.C. to 331 B.C.

But then God said in Daniel 2:39, “ ‘Next, a third kingdom, one of

bronze, will rule over the whole earth’ ” (NIV). Daniel 8:21 clearly

explained that Greece was the third kingdom. Within a short time the

Greek armies, led by Alexander the Great, conquered the world.

Wearing bronze breastplates and helmets, they carried bronze shields

and swords. What a fitting symbol for Greece.

The Greek Empire was then conquered by the iron monarchy of

Rome in 168

B.C., another dramatic fulfillment of the prophecy. Rome

had the longest reign of any other world power. For more than five

hundred years Rome was dominant; from the British Isles to the

Arabian Gulf, from the North Sea to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic

to the Euphrates, Rome held sway.

But as Daniel said, “ ‘The kingdom shall be divided’ ”

(Dan. 2:41,

NKJV). Rome was divided into independent kingdoms that later

became the nations of modern Europe, nations that would “not cleave

one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay”

(vs. 43). We, today,

are living in the time of those feet and toes of the statue.

The next kingdom to come is the final one, God’s eternal kingdom.

Daniel was so right on all the others. How foolish it would be to not

trust him on this, the last one.

Think about this amazing prophecy: Daniel, living more than

five hundred years before Christ, described Europe even as it

exists today! How could he have done this other than by the

power of God? Is your faith wavering? Are you sometimes hav-

ing trouble trusting in the Lord? Go back over this prophecy or

others that have been fulfilled, asking the Lord to use them to

help build your faith.

WEDNESDAY

April 18

The Messiah in Prophecy

Of all the prophecies in the Old Testament, the ones concerning the

first coming of Jesus are among the most powerful. There are about

sixty Old Testament prophecies regarding the coming Messiah. One of

the most powerful is found in Isaiah.

Read

Isaiah 52:13–53:12. What characteristics of the Messiah do you

see here? How did Jesus fulfill them?

____________________________________________________________________

This has to be one of the most powerful examples of predictive

prophecy in the Bible. It is full of contingencies that could not be

rigged in advance in an attempt to produce fulfillment. This prophecy

has been and still continues to be powerful proof for the Christian faith.

Below

are a few Old Testament prophecies about Jesus and their New

Testament fulfillment. What can we learn from these about the

trustworthiness of God’s Word?

Old Testament New Testament

Prophecy Fulfillment

Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23

Micah 5:2 Luke 2:4-7

Daniel 9:25 Luke 3:1-23

Hosea 11:1 Matthew 2:14

It is exciting to study how Jesus also refers to the predictive proph-

ecies about Himself and their fulfillment after His resurrection. He

told two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “ ‘Did not the Christ have

to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with

Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all

the Scriptures concerning himself ”

(Luke 24:26, 27, NIV). The things

concerning Himself may have included His birth (Isa. 7:14), ministry

(Isa. 9:1, 2), His being rejected (Isa. 53:3), His hands and feet pierced

(Ps. 22:16), His being mocked and insulted (vss. 6-8), His crucifixion

with sinners (Isa. 53:12), and His resurrection (Ps. 16:10).

Because of what Jesus did in fulfilling these prophecies, you can

stand f

given before God right now, regardless of your past,

simply by claiming His work in your behalf. How should this

eat truth,

that of salv

ation by faith, change your life? How has

it changed it already? What other changes need to come, as well?

THURSDAY

April 19

The Second Coming

As we have been seeing all week, so many of the prophecies about past

events have been fulfilled, just as predicted, and often in an amazing way.

But these were all prophecies fulfilled in the past. The Bible, however,

talks about prophecies yet to take place. Among the most important of

these are, of course, the prophecies about Christ’s second coming.

all the pr

ophecies about His first coming were so accurately fulfilled,

what should that tell us regarding the certainty of the ones about

the Second Coming?

____________________________________________________________________

Before leaving His disciples, Jesus had promised them concerning

the certainty of His coming: “ ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where

I am’ ” (John 14:3, NIV). Peter, one of the closest disciples of Jesus,

wrote, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a

new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness”

(2 Pet. 3:13,

NIV).

The Bible not only reveals the manner and the characteristics of the

second coming of Christ but also describes the signs of His second

coming. Read the following prophecies concerning the signs of His

coming, and mark an X by the areas that are seeing fulfillment:

1. Increase of knowledge (Dan. 12:4)

2. False messiahs (Matt. 24:4, 5)

3. Wars and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:6, 7a)

4. Famine (Matt. 24:7b)

5. Earthquakes (Matt. 24:7b)

6. Preaching of the gospel (Matt. 24:14)

7. Pestilence (Luke 21:11)

8. Signs and wonders (Luke 21:11)

9. People living in fear (Luke 21:26)

10. Social problems (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

11. Increase of skepticism (2 Pet. 3:3, 4)

A pretty accurate description of our world, is it not? Amazing, too,

if y

ou consider that the passages w

ere written man

y long centuries

ago. Hence, even more proof that we can trust the Bible.

If you believed that Jesus were coming back tomorrow, would

that thought mak

e y

ou happ

y or fearful?

What does y

our

answer tell you about yourself and your relationship to God?

FRIDAY

April 20

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream,”

pp. 491–502 in Prophets and Kings; “The Bible Prophets Wrote for

Our Time,” pp. 338, 339; “Can All Have the Gift of Prophecy?”

pp. 340, 341 in

Selected Messages, book 3.

“It is the voice of Christ that speaks through patriarchs and

prophets, from the days of Adam even to the closing scenes of time.

The Saviour is revealed in the Old Testament as clearly as in the New.

It is the light from the prophetic past that brings out the life of Christ

and the teachings of the New Testament with clearness and beauty.

The miracles of Christ are a proof of His divinity; but a stronger proof

that He is the world’s Redeemer is found in comparing the prophecies

of the Old Testament with the history of the New.”—Ellen G. White,

The Desire of Ages, p. 799.

“Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been per-

mitted to occupy its place on the earth, that the fact might be deter-

mined whether it would fulfill the purposes of the Watcher and the

Holy One. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world’s

great empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each

of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself.

Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, its

power departed.”—Ellen G. White,

Prophets and Kings, p. 535.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, talk about the lesson in general this week. What

things stood out that perhaps have helped you better understand

the role of prophecy and how it works?

● With so much evidence for the validity of the Scriptures

revealed in prophecy, why do you think many people—when pre-

sented with this evidence—still refuse to believe? What other fac-

tors might be involved? What things could you do that could help

break down some of these barriers?

● With so many strange teachings on prophecy out there, what

can you, as a class, do to help church members, especially new

ones, be more solidly grounded in Bible prophecy and the princi-

ples behind it?

tor

INSIDE

Breaking Satan’s Chains: Part 2

by OLEG FARKHUTDINOV

My mother sat across from me in the prison visiting room and cried as

she told me how someone had broken into her home and stolen her pen-

sion. As I listened to her tearful account, the spirit of revenge welled up

inside me. I wanted to get out of prison and find the people who had hurt

my mother. I wanted revenge.

Then I remembered the time my sister had lost an entire summer’s

wages when thieves stole her bag. I had told her she needed to be more

careful with her money. But suddenly I realized the grief I had caused peo-

ple when I had stolen from them. God was showing me my own faults

through my mother’s loss. “Dear Mother,” I said. “Forgive me; it’s my

fault.”

I began to understand the words of the apostle Paul to the Galatians:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows”

(Gal. 6:7, NIV). I asked God’s forgiveness and embraced His command-

ments in my life, especially the commandment that says, “You shall not

steal” (Exod. 20:15, NIV).

From that day forward, God prepared me for release from prison. The

Lord and I fought against the habits and vices that had chained me in a

prison far darker than the ones with bars. He healed my body and my spirit

and turned my heart and mind around. I once had thought that honesty and

morality did not exist, that there was no such thing as an honest person;

therefore it was not immoral to steal, especially from the government. But

God made me realize that stealing anything—goods, ideas, or time—is a

sin in His eyes.

By the time I was released from prison, I was a changed man. Fear was

gone, and in its place was a desire to make right all the wrongs I had com-

mitted over the years, to apologize to those whom I had wounded and to

reimburse their losses.

God took me back to my family, and the changes He had wrought in my

heart touched my wife’s heart as well. Our roles had changed. It was I who

wept and prayed for her, just as she had begged me to change years before.

God answered my prayers, and my wife gave her life to Jesus. Now

together we pray and work for others.

The Lord took a crooked, empty heart and filled it with His love while

I was in prison. Now I find no greater joy than to help other prisoners find

peace and forgiveness and freedom in Christ. Thank you for supporting

ministr

y to prisoners through y

our mission offerings.

OLEG FARKHUTDINO

ks in prison ministries in the Southern Union Conf

ence of the

Euro-Asia Division.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

eb site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*April 21-27

The Bible Is Reliable

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

Matt. 5:17, 18; 24:35;

John 10:34, 35; Rom. 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:6, 12-19; Gal. 3:22; 2 Tim.

3:16; James 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:25.

Memory Text:

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is

truth” (John 17:17).

Key Thought:

Why would God give us His Word and not give us

evidence that enables us to trust it?

ark Twain once said that rumors of his death had been greatly

exaggerated. One could make the same claim about the Bible.

More than once people have declared that the Book one day

would be deemed dead, a relic from a bygone era.

The Bible continues to come under attack. Interestingly enough, the

critics come and go, but the Bible remains. Critical ideas about the

Bible, once deemed cutting edge and revolutionary, have been long

forgotten, but the Bible remains. Men deemed great scholars, whose

work questioned the authenticity of the writings of Moses or Isaiah,

are barely known anymore, while Moses and Isaiah are still being read

all over the world.

For the past few weeks we have looked at elements that should give us

confidence in the Bible. This week we continue to look at reliability.

Thousands of years ago copy machines and digital scanners did not exist.

How accurate are the manuscripts we have today? Why do we trust them?

Let’s find some answers.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 28.

SUNDAY

April 22

The Evidence

From the start, Satan always has hated the Bible. After all, it reveals

the whole plan of salvation, from start to finish. In it everyone can

find the path to eternal life. No wonder Satan hates it.

Many have been his attempts over the centuries to destroy it. When,

finally, because of massive circulation, the destruction of the Bible

became impossible, Satan tried a new tact: If he couldn’t destroy the

Scriptures themselves, then he could do the next best thing: destroy

their credibility. Hence, the arrival of what’s known as higher criti-

cism, which has been very successful in destroying faith in the Bible

as the Word of God. For many scholars, the Bible is just another

ancient text, a Jewish version of, for instance, the Egyptian Book of

the Dead. Full of historical interest, for sure, but not divinely inspired.

Look

up Matthew 5:17, 18; 24:35; John 10:34, 35; 1 Peter 1:25. What

do they say to us about the reliability of the Bible?

____________________________________________________________________

There is, however, one problem here. We are using what the Bible

says about itself to verify the reliability of the Bible. That’s circular

reasoning. How can we use the Bible to verify itself when it’s the reli-

ability of the Bible itself that is coming into question? It’s like defin-

ing by using that word itself in the definition.

On the other hand, God has given us plenty of reasons to trust in the

reliability of the Bible. We have been given enough internal and exter-

nal evidence so that we can trust what it says. We don’t have to believe

just because it tells us to believe. God gives us reasons to trust in the

Bible as His Word, even though, in the end, we have to go by faith. The

bottom line, however, is that we can trust the Bible because God has

given us many good reasons to.

Suppose someone w

e to ask y

ou,

“Wh

y do you trust the Bible?

Why do you think the Bible is the Word of God? Why do you live

according to what the Bible says?” How would you answer, and

why?

MONDAY

April 23

The Old Testament

Read

Mark 15:28; Luke 4:21; John 13:18; 17:12; 19:24; Galatians

3:22; 2 Timothy 3:16; James 2:23. What do these texts tell us

about how the Old Testament was viewed by the writers of the

New Testament? What message is in these words for us?

____________________________________________________________________

As we saw last week, there are amazing prophecies in the Bible that

give powerful testimony to its accuracy in both the Old and the New

Testaments. The fulfillment of these prophecies shows how both

Testaments are reliable; each one works to help establish the validity

of the other.

But there’s even more. For many years higher critical scholars have

told us that the Bible can’t be trusted. After all, there are no complete

copies of the Hebrew Old Testament dated earlier than around A.D. 900.

Certainly, with no copy machines around, many errors got into the

texts. Thus, how can the Old Testament be trusted?

Then, in early 1947, the world learned about what has been called

“the greatest archaeological discovery of the century.” In caves near

the Dead Sea, ancient jars were discovered containing the now famous

Dead Sea Scrolls, many of them dated from about 150 B.C. to A.D. 70,

which means these biblical texts were more than one thousand years

older than many of the other known texts. The find included the ear-

liest manuscript copy yet known of the complete book of Isaiah and

fragments of almost every book in the Old Testament. The books of

Samuel, in a tattered copy, were also found, along with two complete

chapters of Habakkuk.

In comparing the Dead Seas Scrolls with the other manuscripts,

scholars were amazed to find just how accurate our modern Bibles

are. In most cases there were just minor spelling differences. The dis-

covery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has given us great external evidence

on just ho

w reliab

le the text of the Old Testament is.

How much sense would it make for God to give us His Word and

it not be reliable? Or for Him not to give us reasons to trust its

eliability? Should we not be able to trust the Bible in the same

y that w

e trust in the God of the Bib

le?

TUESDAY

April 24

The New Testament

Read

Revelation 22:18, 19. What message about just how seriously

the Lord takes the words of the Bible is found here?

“I’ll be honest with you. . . . When I first found out that there are no

surviving originals of the New Testament, I was really skeptical. I

thought, If all we have are copies of copies of copies, how can I have

any confidence that the New Testament we have today bears any

resemblance whatsoever to what was originally written?”—Lee

Strobel, The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1998),

pp. 58, 59.

Good question. Here, too, we have to ask ourselves: Would God not

leave us a reliable source to know His will? Even more so, would He

not give us reasons to trust in whatever sources He left us?

Yesterday’s lesson showed that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

is important for us to see the accuracy and reliability of the Old

Testament. Can we find the same evidence for the New Testament?

One of the most amazing things about the New Testament, some-

thing that gives us incredible evidence for its reliability, comes from

the fact that so many copies of its manuscripts are still in existence, so

many more than other ancient manuscripts. The Lord has left us with a

wealth of manuscript evidence that attests to the accuracy of the New

Testament that we have today. According to scholars Norman Geisler

and William Nix: “The New Testament, then, has not only survived in

more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has sur-

vived in a purer form than any other great book—a form that is 99.5

percent pure.”—Strobel, p. 65.

Then, too, there is so much external evidence; that is, there are many

quotations and excerpts from the early copies of the New Testament

found in commentaries, sermons, and letters of the early Church

Fathers. The Apostolic Fathers, writing mostly between

A.D. 90 and

160, showed great familiarity with most of the books of the New

Testament. This external evidence, called the lectionaries, were the

reading lessons used in public church services. By the middle of the

twentieth century, more than eighteen hundred of these reading lessons

had been classified. Because they so closely reflect the New Testament

as we have it today, these early church manuscripts also give us many

reasons to trust in the reliability of the New Testament texts as handed

down through the years.

How firm is your faith in the Bible as the Word of God? Also, ask

our

self this question:

“If I can’

t trust the Bible, what can I

trust?” What’s left?

WEDNESDAY

April 25

Internal Evidence: Part 1

What other evidence can help us trust in the Bible as the Word of

God, besides what we’ve looked at in the past few days?

Think

about the New Testament story of Jesus. Of all the things that

happened to Him, which event is not only the most incredible (in

that it is not something that happens very often) but has a great

deal of importance to the whole Christian faith? See Rom. 8:34,

1 Cor. 15:12-19.

____________________________________________________________________

Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 makes it very clear how central the resur-

rection of Jesus is to our faith. In other words, even though Christ died

for our sins, even though He was our Substitute, it all would have

come to naught had He not been resurrected. That shows how impor-

tant this event is to all that we believe.

Of course, it’s one thing for a Jew to have been crucified by the

Romans. That happened all the time. It’s wholly another for that Jew

to have been resurrected from the dead. And yet that’s exactly what the

New Testament writers declared happened to Jesus.

Read

Matthew 27:51–28:20,

Mark 16:9-14, Luke 24:35-53, John

20:19-31. What do all these accounts have in common?

____________________________________________________________________

Whatever the differences in the Gospel accounts (in that some writ-

ers recorded things that others didn’t), one thing all have in common

is that all testified to the resurrection of Jesus from the grave.

Now, some reject the idea that someone, anyone, could be raised

from the dead after three days. It’s crazy, they say—the product of a

sick mind, of someone having hallucinations.

Now, that might be a reasonable assumption if only one person were

making the claim that Jesus rose from the dead. But in this case, there

were four! It’s one thing for all four Gospel writers to be crazy. But for

all four to be crazy in the same w

y? Hardl

y sounds as if the halluci

nation theory makes any sense.

Read again 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Why is the resurrection of

Christ so central to our faith? Now ask yourself this question:

“W

ould God ask us to belie

e in something lik

e this and not gi

us plenty of evidence to believe it?” Explain your answer.

THURSDAY

April 26

Internal Evidence: Part 2

As we saw yesterday, the idea that the resurrection of Jesus was

based on the claim that the disciples were crazy made no sense.

Realizing that this idea wasn’t too sensible, others claimed that the

disciples conspired to make up the story of Christ’s resurrection.

From

what you know about the life and fate of those early followers

of Jesus, why does the conspiracy theory make no sense either?

See Luke 21:16, 17; John 16:2.

What reason would they have for making up this story? Power?

Prestige? Money? Please! Shunned by their own people, rejected by

the religious leaders, and mercilessly persecuted by just about every-

one, the disciples never gained worldly power, influence, or money as

a result of the Resurrection. On the contrary! They lost everything the

world had to offer because of their insistence on it.

Some have argued that though the disciples had conspired in hopes

of personal advantage, things went awry concerning their plans.

However, because they already had committed themselves to the story

of the Resurrection, they had no choice but to keep promoting it. The

only problem is that the Gospels were not written until many years

after the Resurrection. If the disciples had hopes that through the fab-

ricated story of Jesus’ resurrection they were going to get rich or pow-

erful, they learned early that this was a vain hope. Why, decades later,

long after they had had plenty of time to disassociate themselves from

the whole failed endeavor, did they cling to it anyway—even at such

a great personal cost?

Read

1 Corinthians 15:6 (NIV). What is Paul saying here that gives

even more evidence for the resurrection of Jesus?

Paul is telling people that Jesus, after the Resurrection, appeared to

more than five hundred people, “most of whom are still living.” In

other words, Paul is so confident about the resurrection of Jesus that

he is all but inviting people to talk to those among the 500 who are

still alive and ask them to tell them what they saw. And, of course, one

reason that Paul was certain of their testimony was because he, him-

self, had been a witness to the resurrected Jesus (Acts 9:1-8).

Go over in your own life and experience the reasons you have for

your faith in Jesus. What things can you do to strengthen that

faith? At the same time, what activities tend to weaken it?

FRIDAY

April 27

Further Study:

“The Languages, Manuscripts, and Canon of the

Old Testament,” pp. 25–45 in

The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1.

“God has faithful witnesses, to whom He committed the truth, and

who preserved the Word of God. The manuscripts of the Hebrew and

Greek Scriptures have been preserved through the ages by a miracle

of God.”— Ellen G. White, Letter 32, 1899.

Aside from the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are two other ancient wit-

nesses that attest to the accuracy of the copyists of the Old Testament.

One of these is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the

Septuagint; another is the text that was preserved by the Samaritans

that live today in Nablus, Palestine. No wonder R. Laird Harris, an

Old Testament scholar, concluded: “We can now be sure that copyists

worked with great care and accuracy on the Old Testament, even back

to 225

B.C. At that time there were two or three types of text available

for copying. These types differed among themselves so little, however,

that we can infer that still earlier copyists had also faithfully and care-

fully transmitted the Old Testament text. Indeed, it would be rash

skepticism that would now deny that we have our Old Testament in a

form very close to that used by Ezra when he taught the Law to those

who had returned from the Babylonian captivity.”—R. Laird Harris,

Can I Trust My Bible? (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963), p. 124.

Discussion Questions:

● Russian Leo Tolstoy wrote the great novel Anna Karenina.

Could you imagine Tolstoy willing to face persecution, rejection,

jail, and maybe even death, because he insisted that the whole

story was true, even though he knew he had made it all up? How

does this analogy help us understand why the disciples wouldn’t

have made up the story of Christ’s resurrection?

● However much evidence God has given us to trust in His

Word, there is always room for doubt; there are always unan-

swered questions. What can you as a class do to help those in

your church who are struggling with questions about the reli-

ability of the Bible?

● As a class, go over your answers to Sunday’s final question.

What can you learn from each other?

INSIDE

New Name, New Heart

by EMMANUEL A. ALLOTEY

Sabbah lives in a town in central Ghana. When she was 17 years old,

some of her friends invited her to attend evangelistic meetings near her

home. Sabbah wanted to go to the meetings, but she knew that her father

would object, for he hated Christians. She decided it was best not to tell

her parents where she was going each night, so she arranged to meet her

girlfriends at their homes and walk to the meetings with them.

Sabbah was touched by what she learned about God. She gave her heart

to God and asked to be baptized. But her father learned of her plans and

forbade her to be baptized. He threatened to beat her and disown her if she

even attended a Christian function. Sadly, Sabbah did not take part in the

first baptism. But she was not willing to give up her love for Jesus just

because her father said she must, and she continued attending worship

services whenever she could.

When her father learned of Sabbah’s continued interest in Christianity,

he drove her from her home. However, Sabbah’s mother had secretly

encouraged her daughter’s decision to become a Christian, and she tried to

encourage her daughter’s faith. When Sabbah’s father learned of her

mother’s actions, she too was forced to leave her home.

On her baptismal day, Sabbah changed her name to Christine* to reflect

her new faith.

Christine passed her junior high school exams and could enter high

school, but without her parents’ financial support, she had no way to con-

tinue her studies. As her pastor, I encouraged her to trust in the Lord and

pray for a sponsor.

Not long after this conversation, I received a telephone call inviting me

to the conference office. There I met a couple from overseas who wanted

to sponsor Christine to finish her education. She could continue her stud-

ies!

Christine has done well in her high school years and wants to serve God

in whatever capacity He leads her. She is thankful for those who have

helped her finish her education, but is even more grateful for those who

made it possible for her to be introduced to her Savior, Jesus Christ. Your

mission offerings help make evangelism possible in Ghana and around the

world. Thank you.

* Not her real name.

EMMANUEL A.

LLO

TEY

is a pastor in Ghana.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*April 28–May 4

When the Rocks Cry

Out

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Isa. 20:1, Nah. 3:2-7,

Luke 19:40, John 20:24-31, Heb. 11:24-27.

Memory Text:

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years,

refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing

rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the

pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:24, 25).

Key Thought:

Archaeology has played a key role in affirming

the veracity of the Old Testament.

t the beginning of the nineteenth century the Bible faced an

onslaught of attacks from many sources. The greatest were

coming from, sad to say, Bible scholars themselves, who

argued that we just couldn’t trust the Bible and its historical accounts.

All sorts of new theories were proposed to explain the origin of the

Bible, and though varying one from another, they had one major point

in common: All brought the biblical accounts into disrepute.

Interestingly enough, when these attacks were at the strongest, archae-

ologists began making startling discoveries, and, bit by bit, challenges

against the Bible were being answered.

“In light of past discoveries,” wrote a well-known Bible scholar,

“one may expect that future archaeological finds will continue to sup-

port the biblical traditions.”—Edwin Yamauchi,

The Stone and the

Scriptur

(London: InterV

arsity Press, 1973), p. 168.

This week we’ll take a quick look at some discoveries and how they

have answered some challenges.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 5.

SUNDAY

April 29

Faith and Archaeology

“ ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry

out’ ” (Luke 19:40, NIV).

Though Jesus probably wasn’t talking about archaeology when He

made the above statement, He might as well have. Over the years vari-

ous archaeological discoveries, such as the Rosetta Stone and the

Behistun inscription, have done much to help confirm the Bible record.

Don’t, however, take our word for it. Read the few quotes below by

these archaeologists:

Dr. W. F. Albright, perhaps the most famous archaeologist of the

twentieth century, said: “There can be no doubt that archaeology has

confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition.”

—

Archaeology and the Religion of Israel (Baltimore, Md.: The Johns

Hopkins University Press, 1942), p. 176.

Millar Burrows, from Yale: “On the whole, however, archaeological

work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of

the Scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his respect

for the Bible increased by the experience of excavation in Palestine.”

—What Mean These Stones? (New Haven, Conn.: American Schools of

Oriental Research, 1941), p. 1.

K. A. Kitchen: “In terms of general reliability. . . . the Old Testament

comes out remarkably well, so long as its writings and writers are treated

fairly and evenhandedly.”—

On the Reliability of the Old Testament

(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2003), p. 500.

However nice it is to have these quotes and others, we mustn’t base

our faith on archaeology, because, like all disciplines, it is still a human

endeavor. People have to interpret the evidence, and so a subjective ele-

ment always arises. Also, what happens when someone makes a find

that some scholars interpret as contradicting the biblical account? Is our

faith then shattered? Though it’s nice when archaeological interpreta-

tions fit what we believe, our faith must rest, not on rocks and inscrip-

tions, but on the promises of God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Read John 20:24-31. What principle that has application in our

own experience of faith in Jesus is revealed here? What lessons

can you draw from this account, particularly verse 29, that helps

us understand what faith is about?

MONDAY

April 30

Some Prophecies Confirmed

The Bible, as we know, is filled with prophecies, many of them

already fulfilled. It’s exciting, from our standpoint, to look back and

see how archaeology shows us that these prophecies were fulfilled as

the Bible said they would be.

For example, Nineveh was the capital of Assyria at the height of its

power and glory. It was one of the centers of the world. From its

administrative offices governors were dispatched to rule over a vast

empire, reaching from Persia and Arabia in the east to the green shores

of the Mediterranean in the west, and from the border of Ethiopia in

the south to the Black Sea in the north. Yet, according to the Bible, it

wasn’t going to last.

Accor

ding

to Nahum, what was going to happen to this great city

Nineveh? See Nah. 3:2-7.

____________________________________________________________________

Through the combined forces of the Medes and the Babylonians,

the city was destroyed in 612

B.C. The palaces were burned, its tem-

ples were broken down, and its strong fortifications were demolished.

Read

Isaiah 13:19-22. What was to be the fate of another great king-

dom, Babylon?

____________________________________________________________________

Archaeological discoveries over the years have revealed that

Babylon was once, indeed, a magnificent city that had, among other

things, (1) a wall about the main city more than 11 miles long and 85

feet thick; (2) many gates, including the Ishtar Gate with its enam-

eled bricks showing 575 dragons and bulls and 120 lions; and (3) the

gorgeously decorated palace of Nebuchadnezzar with its banquet hall

and throne room, 57 feet wide and 168 feet long. Yet, whatever its

ancient glory, as affirmed by archaeology, the city today remains in

ruins.

ylon in ruins? Nine

veh in ruins? Today it would be compa-

rable if someone said that the United States would be in ruins.

What lesson should there be here for us about how fleeting any-

thing earthly is? What should our priorities in life be?

TUESDAY

May 1

More Affirmations

Look

up the following texts: Genesis 15:20, Exodus 3:8, Joshua 1:4,

1 Kings 10:29, and 2 Chronicles 1:17.

What

nation is mentioned in each of these texts?

____________________________________________________________________

These were just a few times, out of dozens, that the Hittites were

mentioned in the Bible. For many years, however, this was seen as evi-

dence that the Bible couldn’t be trusted historically. Why? Because no

other ancient sources referred to the Hittites. Thus, some saw this lack

of other sources as proof that the Bible couldn’t be trusted. The

Hittites were deemed a mythical people, or, at most, an insignificant

tribe occupying a village or two. Thanks to numerous archaeological

discoveries, however, we now know that the Hittites once ruled the

greater part of Asia Minor, from the Mediterranean Sea to the

Euphrates River, and that their power was scarcely inferior to that of

Assyria or Egypt. It was only when the empire ended around 1200 B.C.

that they finally vanished from history, though small city-states

remained. Again, the rocks have cried out testifying to the accuracy of

the Bible.

Another

biblical record also confirmed is the relationship between

Israel and Moab. How does the Bible depict that relationship?

2 Kings 3:4-27.

____________________________________________________________________

In a little village eastward from the Dead Sea the Moabite stone, a

stone inscribed by King Mesha, was found. It tells of Moab’s oppres-

sion by the nation of Israel, as depicted in the Bible. This stone is now

in the Louvre museum in Paris. It is regarded as very precious since

its writing differs very little from early Hebrew. It was engraved about

850 B.C.

Suppose no Moabite stone had ever been found. It’s not hard to

imagine critics saying, “Oh, more proof that the Bible is unreli-

ble,” just as they did with the Hittites. What lessons can we learn

om this a

bout w

hat faith should and should not be based on?

WEDNESDAY

May 2

Ebla and Other Discoveries

Another important discovery was the Ebla Tablets, found in the Syrian

city of Ebla (Tell Mardikh) in the 1970s. These were a whole library of

clay tablets, about fifteen thousand of them, dated from about twenty-

three hundred years before Christ. The Ebla Tablets are “now considered

more significant for elucidating ancient history and the early back-

ground of the Bible than any other archaeological discovery ever

unearthed.”—

Thompson Chain Reference Bible, pp. 1653, 1654.

Read

Isaiah 20:1. What king is mentioned there?

____________________________________________________________________

For years it was claimed that there was no such king, and thus the

Bible wasn’t trustworthy. But in the 1840s, archaeological discoveries

uncovered a palace with a statue and inscription telling all about Sargon,

king of Assyria. The Bible was, again, confirmed by archaeology.

What

tragic end came to Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who took the

throne after Sargon?

2 Kings 19:36, 37.

____________________________________________________________________

Interestingly enough, an unearthed Assyrian record says that on the

twentieth day of the month Tebet, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was

killed by his son in a revolt.

The discovery of the law code of Hammurabi in 1901–1902 in Susa

and the excavation in Nuzi have shown that some of the practices of

the patriarchs—such as the experience of Sarah giving her slave girl

to Abraham

(Gen. 16:1-3), the selling of the birthright for food (Gen.

25:33), and married daughters receiving a handmaid (Gen. 29:24,

29)—were common practices in the ancient world.

Whether in archaeology, science, history, or whatever, it’s always

nice when things affirm what we believe, and we should be thank-

ful for these affirmations. At the same time, what message is

found in Hebrews 11:1 that is so important for us to remember?

THURSDAY

May 3

More Insights

Read

Hebrews 11:24-27. According to these texts, what did Moses give

up for his God?

____________________________________________________________________

What might have been some of those treasures that Moses left

behind? In 1922 Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen,

who lived in the fourteenth century B.C. Carter’s discovery helps us

better understand the text regarding Moses and the treasures of Egypt.

There are more than seventeen hundred objects on display in the Cairo

Museum that were found in Tutankhamen’s tomb. These include the

king’s mask of pure gold, a golden death boat, 143 jewels, and many

other precious ornaments. This one tomb alone has a multimillion dol-

lar treasure that dazzles the senses. Again, this is just one tomb of one

pharaoh. Yet, according to the Bible, Moses left those precious treas-

ures because “he saw him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27, NIV).

Siegfried Horn said that the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb also

has answered the Bible critics who said that “the mentioning of iron

in the stories of the books of Joshua and Judges is strong proof of a

late date for these books, because it was thought that iron had not been

used before the twelfth century B.C. The iron objects of King

Tutankhamen’s tomb however, show that the critics were wrong and

that iron objects were used in that very age.”—

The Spade Confirms

the Book (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald

Pub. Assn., 1957),

p. 121. The discovery gives more evidence for the historical accuracy

of the Bible stories.

Read

1 Samuel 15:2, 3. What did God tell the Israelites to do?

Many find such texts as these disturbing. During the years, however,

archaeology has added some light that can help us better understand

what was going on. Some archaeologists have argued that the

Canaanite religion was exceedingly cruel and bloodthirsty, and it led

the Canaanites to violent and degrading acts. If this is true, it could

help explain w

hy the Lord used the Israelites to bring judgment upon

them. Meanwhile, Genesis 15:16 unveils a principle that can help us

better understand what was happening here.

y is it so important for us to trust in the Lord and His good-

ness,

despite such har

d te

xts to under

stand,

such as 1 Sam

uel

15:2, 3? Go over in your own mind examples of God’s love,

mercy, and forgiveness. Ask the Lord to give you faith to trust,

despite things that ar

e har

d to under

stand.

FRIDAY

May 4

Further Study:

“Archeology and the Recovery of Ancient History,”

pp. 99–132 in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1.

“Skepticism toward ancient writings, well founded in many cases,

was then also extended to the writings of the Bible. Many people

thought that the Biblical records about this world’s ancient history, and

the stories about the patriarchs, prophets, judges, and kings, were in

most cases just as legendary as those of other ancient peoples which

had come down to us through Greek and Latin writings. The most

famous historians and theologians of the 19th century were the great-

est doubters of the veracity of the stories of the Bible, and were among

its most vigorous critics.

“This attitude has greatly changed since the turn of the [twentieth]

century. Much more respect is now shown toward the Old Testament,

its narratives, and its teachings than was shown a few decades ago.

The results of explorations in the Near East have done more than any-

thing else to bring this about.

“In the flood of light thrown by archeology upon the ancient civi-

lizations the Old Testament stands forth not only as historically reli-

able but also as unique in scope, power, and lofty ideals in compari-

son with the best products of the ancient world.”—The SDA Bible

Commentary,

vol. 1, p. 100.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, talk about the whole question of faith in God. What

is faith? Where does it come from? What causes people to lose it?

What role can archaeology have in our faith? At the same time,

why must we not put too much emphasis on it, or any other dis-

cipline, such as science? What can we do to help strengthen each

other’s faith?

● Suppose evidence for the existence of the Hittites had never

been found. Critics still would be using that lack of evidence to

attack the Bible, despite the fact that the Hittites really did exist.

In other words, just because proof isn’t readily available doesn’t

mean something isn’t true. What lessons can we learn from this

account about what our faith needs to be based on and what we

shouldn’t base it on?

tor

INSIDE

Margarita’s Mission

JEANE ZACHARY

In a village outside Tijuana, Mexico, a small company of Adventist

believers are building a church. The first thing they built was the baptistry.

These members were serious about leading people to Jesus.

One member, Margarita Carrillo, joined the Adventist Church four

years earlier. Margarita has a passion to fill the church. And she is.

While other members were busy giving Bible studies and preaching,

Margarita felt she couldn’t. She could not read or write. Her husband and

children tried to teach her, and slowly, painstakingly, she sounded out each

syllable of a word. Then God showed Margarita she had other gifts she

could use.

A family in the village had a 13-year-old daughter who was troubled by

an evil spirit. The family was desperate to find a cure for their child.

Margarita organized prayer vigils on behalf of the girl and her family.

They prayed that God would drive out the evil spirit. Little by little they

saw changes in the girl’s life.

As neighbors also saw the difference, they began asking questions

about God and the Bible. Some began studying with church members,

and a few months later 14 people were baptized. Later another 16 people

were baptized.

As Margarita saw these people make their decisions for Christ, she

sensed God’s power at work. She had felt that she could not be a leader

unless she could read, but she stepped out in faith and began leading the

weekly prayer meetings, memorizing the Bible texts she would need to

share with the congregation.

The believers continue building their church. Some make the bricks,

others lay the bricks, and another has begun

building a pulpit. Meanwhile, the congrega-

tion continues to grow. And Margarita con-

tinues to experience God’s power growing in

her. And in spite of her difficulty reading, she

gladly shares God’s love with those she

meets.

Our mission offerings help congregations

such as Margarita’s buy Bible study guides

and other materials to teach and nurture their

new believers.

Margarita (left). Jeane Zachary lives in southern

California.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*May 5-11

The Bible and Science

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Gen. 1:1; 2:1, 2; 7:11-24;

Deut. 4:32; Pss. 100:3; 139:14; Isa. 42:5; 45:18; Jer. 33:22; John

1:1-3; Heb. 1:2.

Memory Text:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowl-

edge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:7, NIV).

Key Thought:

Though often viewed as in opposition to the Bible,

science can help strengthen our faith in the Word of God.

n the earliest years of the scientific revolution (the seventeenth

century), science was viewed as a way to understand God. All the

early giants (Descartes, Kepler, Galileo, Copernicus, Newton)

believed their work was revealing the handiwork of the Creator.

Kepler, talking about his achievements, wrote: “I am stealing the

golden vessels of the Egyptians to build a tabernacle to my God from

them. . . . I cast the die, and I write the book. Whether it is to be read

by the people of the present or of the future makes no difference: let

it await its reader for a hundred years, if God himself has stood ready

for six thousand years for one to study him.” Over time, however, sci-

ence started moving away from the idea of God, choosing instead to

work in a purely materialistic, atheistic paradigm. This, of course, led

to the struggle between faith and science that we often hear about

today.

Though w

e certainly acknowledge the challenges that science can

present, this week we’ll focus on places where science has, indeed,

given us reasons for our trust in the Bible.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 12.

SUNDAY

May 6

Anthropic Coincidences

Look

up Genesis 1:1; 2:1, 2; Deuteronomy 4:32; Psalm 100:3; Isaiah

42:5; 45:18; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; Revelation

10:6; 14:7. What’s the one point that all these texts have in com-

mon?

____________________________________________________________________

For many years, much of science worked on the presupposition that

all existence, including human life, was the result of pure chance. We

are just a big accident, nothing more.

Now, though, science seems to be moving in another direction. In

fact, a new phrase has been coined: “anthropic coincidences,” from

the Greek word anthropos, meaning “man.” Science reveals that many

factors in the universe are so finely tuned that even the slightest vari-

ation would create an environment unfit for human existence. It’s

almost as though the universe was created with the existence of

humanity in mind!

What are some of these “anthropic coincidences”?

For starters, if the rate of expansion after the creation of the universe

had been smaller by one part in a hundred million, the universe would

have collapsed in on itself. On the other hand, had it been greater by

one part in a hundred million, the universe would have expanded too

rapidly for stars or planets to form.

Also, one of the known basic forces in nature is called the strong

nuclear force. Had it been slightly weaker, there would have been only

hydrogen in the universe; had it been slightly stronger, there would

have been only helium. In either environment, humanity as we know

it could never have been formed.

There are many other examples, enough to get even someone like

the famed Stephen Hawking (hardly a biblical creationist) to admit:

“The odds against a universe like ours emerging out of something like

the Big Bang are enormous. . . . I think there are clearly religious

implications.”—Quoted in Ian Barbour,

When Science Meets Religion

(New York: Harper Collins, 2000), p. 58.

American poet Walt Whitman once wrote: “And the narrowest

hinge in my hand puts to scorn all machinery.” What other

examples from nature put “to scorn all machinery”? What does

this complexity and design say to us about a Creator? Be pre-

pared to talk about your examples in class.

MONDAY

May 7

Astronomy

Have you ever stood outside on a clear night and looked at the stars?

How many could you count? Though there are a lot, there are not more

than can be counted, at least with the naked eye, which is how the

Bible writers saw them.

Read

Jeremiah 33:22. How many stars does he say are out there?

____________________________________________________________________

Ptolemy many centuries ago counted about 1,056 stars; Tyco Brahe

counted up to 777; Kepler, 1,005. Before the invention of the telescope

in the seventeenth century, people believed that the number of stars was

5,119. The telescope, of course, changed all this dramatically. Today,

especially with the Hubble Space Telescope, the number of stars seems

beyond counting. It is estimated that there are hundreds of billions of

stars in our galaxy alone. Astronomers have estimated that there are

about 10

(that is, 10 thousand billion billion) stars in the universe. If

one could count even as many as 10 different numbers per second, it

would take at least 100 million billion years to count up to 10

. And

over time, who knows how many more will be discovered?

Read

Job 22:12. What else is Eliphaz saying about the stars?

____________________________________________________________________

Many ancient people believed the stars were various distances away,

from a few kilometers to a few hundred at most. Science over the past

few centuries has shown just how far they really are. The sun is 93

million miles away, our closest star; others, even if we traveled at the

speed of light (300,000 kilometers per second), would take us hun-

dreds, thousands, even millions of years to reach! And though Eliphaz

probably wasn’t thinking about astronomy, he, nevertheless, made a

statement that science certainly has proven correct.

Though it’s good when science seems to affirm our faith, why

must we be careful in not putting too much stock in science

hen it comes to matters of faith? Why, too, is it important to

emember that science is still onl

y a human endea

or?

See J

17:9, 1 Cor. 1:21, 3:19.

TUESDAY

May 8

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Though possibly a bit overstated, the following quote tells us some-

thing about the complexity of the human brain. “There are trillions of

neurons in a human brain; the number of possible ways of connecting

them is greater than the number of atoms in the universe.”—Ian

Barbour, When Science Meets Religion (New York: Harper Collins,

2000), p. 62.

With

that above quote in mind, read Psalm 139:14. How has science

affirmed the truth of this text?

As we said in Sunday’s lesson, more and more science has been

moving away from the chance argument to explain the existence of

human life. And no wonder. Over the years, as science has advanced

steadily, as we learn more and more about the wonders of creation, the

evidence for design gets only stronger and stronger. It’s so strong, in

fact, that recently one vocal opponent of intelligent design (and the

implications of a Creator behind it) argued that the universe is a thing

that simply appears to be designed even though, of course, it isn’t. In

other words, it just looks that way.

Meanwhile Francis Crick, probably the most famous biologist of the

twentieth century and a vehement atheist, concluded that life was too

complicated to have arisen in the supposed billions of years between

the cooling off of the earth and the rapid emergence of life forms.

Crick speculated, therefore, that life must have started somewhere else

and was then brought here, perhaps by space aliens who wanted to see

the earth

(see again 1 Cor. 3:19 and Ps. 14:1).

Another exciting development came from the work of biochemist

Michael Behe. Charles Darwin partially based his theory of evolution

on the idea that changes came over time to species through a series of

small, successive modifications. If, Darwin said, any complex organ

could be shown not to have gone through these steps, his theory would

break down.

Behe, not a biblical creationist, showed various aspects of the

human body—the cilia, the eye, and blood clotting—that could not

have arisen according to the basic evolutionary schema. According to

Behe, they couldn’t have arisen over time because, in order for the

organ to function at all, all the pieces already had to be in place at

once. If one part, or even one step, wasn’t there from the beginning,

the or

an or process could not e

xist at all. His e

vidence presents a

strong challenge to the evolutionary model of creation. The question,

therefore, remains: If these things didn’t come by chance, through the

evolutionary processes, then how did they arise

(John 1:1-4, Acts

17:28)

WEDNESDAY

May 9

A Merry Heart, a Broken Spirit

Read

Proverbs 17:22. What simple and yet, at the same time, pro-

found message is found in this text? In what ways have you your-

self experienced the truth of these principles?

____________________________________________________________________

Is it really true that a merry heart does good like a medicine? Over

the years scientists more and more understand the inseparable link

between the mind and the body. What impacts one impacts the other.

Research shows that, for instance, something as simple as a hearty

laugh exercises the lungs, stimulates the circulatory system, and

increases oxygen intake. It also stimulates the sympathetic nervous

system to make endorphins, the body’s natural opiates, which can

soothe and relax the mind and may even increase the activity of the

immune cells.

On the other hand, there’s the last half of the text, which implies

that depression can impact the body in a negative manner.

“In recent years, however, evidence has accumulated that psychol-

ogy can indeed affect biology. Studies have found, for example, that

people who suffer from depression are at higher risk for heart disease

and other illnesses. Other research has shown that wounds take longer

to heal in women who care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease than

in other women who are not similarly stressed. And people under

stress have been found to be more susceptible to colds and flu, and to

have more severe symptoms after they fall ill.”—Erica Goode, “Power

of Positive Thinking May Have a Health Benefit, Study Says,”

New

York Times, Sept. 2, 2003.

Moreover, a recent study from the University of Wisconsin shows

that “the activation of brain regions associated with negative emotions

appears to weaken people’s immune response to a flu vaccine.”—Ibid.

What’s the message for us in Philippians 4:6-8? Though we

often tend to view these passages in light of the spiritual aspect

only, what kind of physical benefits can we get from Paul’s

words here, as well? What changes do you need to make in the

things you read and watch and listen to in order to better real-

ize the pr

omises found in these texts?

THURSDAY

May 10

Science and the Flood

Read

Genesis 7:11-24. What kind of devastation would this Flood

have wreaked on the earth?

If the Hebrew phrase “the great deep” (Gen. 7:11, NIV) refers to the

ocean(s), then the implication is that on the first day of the Flood,

when the rain began to fall, the ocean floor may have been disrupted

by the bursting forth of “all the springs” (vs. 11, NIV). Such a cata-

strophic global event as the Flood should have left worldwide evi-

dence of its occurrence. Science shows that, indeed, it did. There are

global deposits in the layers of rock quite consistent with (though not

proof of) the Genesis Flood. These deposits contribute to the way in

which the rock layers are identified and defined. Gigantic sequences

of sandstone covered by shale and limestone in what are called

Cambrian rocks; massive, transported limestone found in certain rock

levels; as well as coal and oil deposits found throughout these levels—

all these deposits are consistent with the Flood.

Furthermore, the destruction of life on this earth during the

Genesis Flood was extensive, as described in Genesis 7:21 and 22. In

our modern world there is little preservation of plants and animals that

die. These organisms are decomposed and recycled to provide the

nutrients necessary for life to continue. However, buried within the

earth are extensive fossil concentrations with evidence of a wide vari-

ety of plants and animals that do not exist in our world today, again

evidence consistent with the Flood story.

Other evidence is the rapid, massive deposition of rocks, sands, and

muds. There are layers of rock throughout the earth that have been

deposited so quickly that there is no evidence of erosion between the

layers. And though the geologic community often argues that these

layers needed millions of years to form, the rocks show no direct evi-

dence that such time has passed. These rock layers do not, however,

resolve all of the time issues; thus, the dating methods and sequences

of fossils in the rock record remain debatable, at least for now.

Though God gives us reasons for our faith, there is always room

for doubt. How can you live in a way that feeds faith rather than

doubt? That is, what practical daily things can you do to help

str

engthen yourself in what we believe?

FRIDAY

May 11

Further Study:

“Genesis and Geology,” pp. 70–97 in The SDA

Bible Commentary, vol. 1; Ellen G. White, “Mind Cure,” pp. 241–259;

“In Contact With Nature,” pp. 260–268 in The Ministry of Healing.

“He who has a knowledge of God and His word through personal

experience has a settled faith in the divinity of the Holy Scriptures. He

has proved that God’s word is truth, and he knows that truth can never

contradict itself. He does not test the Bible by men’s ideas of science;

he brings these ideas to the test of the unerring standard. He knows

that in true science there can be nothing contrary to the teaching of the

word; since both have the same Author, a correct understanding of

both will prove them to be in harmony. Whatever in so-called scien-

tific teaching contradicts the testimony of God’s word is mere human

guesswork.”—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 462.

“God is the foundation of everything. All true science is in harmony

with His works; all true education leads to obedience to His govern-

ment. Science opens new wonders to our view; she soars high, and

explores new depths; but she brings nothing from her research that

conflicts with divine revelation. Ignorance may seek to support false

views of God by appeals to science, but the book of nature and the

written word shed light upon each other. We are thus led to adore the

Creator and to have an intelligent trust in His word.”—Ellen G. White,

Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 115, 116.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, share your answers to Sunday’s final question.

What can you learn from each other’s examples?

● What can be done to help someone who, swayed by the argu-

ments of science, finds it very hard to believe in the Bible? How

can you help?

● If willing, share with the class some of your own personal

experiences with the power of the mind over the body and health.

What have you learned that could help others? What role can

prayer, Bible study, witnessing, and ministering to the needs of

others play in helping you heal mentally and even physically?

tor

INSIDE

The Faithful Brothers

by ALFRED SIMUKOKO

Stewart and Jomo are brothers. They grew up in a small village in north-

ern Malawi. When they were young teenagers, the boys attended evange-

listic meetings being held nearby, even though their parents objected. The

boys were touched by the message of God’s love and gave their lives to

Christ. Their parents learned that they planned to be baptized and warned

the brothers that if they went through with the baptism, they would be

killed. Stewart and Jomo chose to be baptized anyway. When the brothers

returned home later that day, their parents forced them to leave.

Stewart and Jomo built a simple mud hut to sleep in, but their parents

destroyed it and again chased their sons from home. The brothers went to

the village chief to complain, but the chief had little sympathy for boys

who disobey their parents. “Give up this church,” he said. “Go home and

submit yourselves to your parents.”

“We cannot do that, sir,” they explained. “We must obey God.”

The boys built another hut, and again their parents destroyed it.

Frustrated and stranded, they turned to their pastor for help. The pastor

took them in. Both boys had passed their primary school exams and

wanted to study in secondary school, but the pastor could not afford to pay

their school fees. He arranged for the field office and secondary school to

pay the brothers’ fees so that they could continue their studies.

The brothers soon will complete their secondary school education. During

school vacations, the boys stay at the school and work to earn a little

money for their personal needs.

One day a package arrived at the school for the boys. In it they found a

suitcase—an empty suitcase. The brothers investigated and learned that

their parents had sent the suitcase to them, perhaps as a gesture of recon-

ciliation, a way of saying, “We were wrong.” The brothers returned home

to their village to visit their parents. The family talked in peace. “We

thought you were disobeying us,” their father said, “but you were really

obeying God.”

Stewart and Jomo pray that their parents will step beyond reconciliation

with them and will be reconciled with God. They ask other believers to

join them in praying for their parents’ salvation.

Your mission offerings helped provide the funds that led Stewart and

Jomo to Christ; your mission offerings can help bring their parents to God

as well.

ALFRED SIMUK

OKO

is Sa

bbath School and Personal Ministries Director of the North

Malawi F

ield in Mzuzu, Malawi.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

Paperback.

176 pages.

ISBN 10: 0-8163-2147-7.

US$13.99.

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O CHANGE • 315/65115

oday I visi

ted Nile Union Academy, and met students from all over Egypt.

They’re here to learn English, to prepare for the future, but they’ll leave

with so much more. It moved me, seeing their smiles, hearing their

stories of meeting Christ at this school. There’s nothing like falling in

love with Jesus.

Few here can afford university, so vocational training at the academy is

essential. Part of this q

uarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Of

fering will help make

auto mechanics, welding, carpentry, and other vocational skills available to

these students. Such skills allow them to earn a living, and the lov

e of

God they ﬁ nd here allows them to share Jesus in every corner of E

gypt.

This is the essence of Adventist education. This is where I can make a

difference, through mission offerings. For me, it’s personal.

L ESSON

*May 12-18

The Word in Our Lives

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

Pss. 19:7-11; 119:105; Rom.

10:17; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:24; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 2:24.

Memory Text:

“For the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to divid-

ing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and

attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV.)

Key Thought:

The Bible must change how we live our lives.

am Tannyhill was sentenced to death for murder. While in prison

he was visited by two Seventh-day Adventists who gave him a

Bible. Sam, angry, threw it against the wall. But one night, filled

with guilt, fear, and bitterness, he wanted something to divert his

thoughts, and so he picked up the Bible. At first, not understanding

what he read, he tore it apart. But then he started reading again, and

the more he read the more he came to know the Christ of the Bible.

Sam found Jesus Christ as his Savior in a lonely prison cell as he read

the Scriptures. His life completely turned around, right there in jail.

The bitterness and anger that dogged him his whole life left. Sam

knelt and sobbed. He said, “God, if You’ll have me, I’m Yours. Tonight

I come. I want Your forgiveness, Your peace, Your power. Lord, change

me.” He did, and Sam went with peace and assurance to his death.

What is it about the Bible that can so change even the worst among

us? Maybe not all stories are so dramatic, but millions can testify to

the impact that this Book has had in turning around their lives.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 19.

SUNDAY

May 13

The Bible, Agent of Change

Read

2 Corinthians 5:17. How have you experienced the promise

found in that text?

____________________________________________________________________

The Bible paints a pretty dim picture of human nature in general

(Isa. 59:2-4; Jer. 13:23; Rom. 3:10-12). And though that view often

comes under attack by critics of the Bible, even the most cursory

review of history proves the assertion right. Even worse, so often well-

meaning attempts to improve our lot fail. Many of the great “isms” of

the past few centuries, often predicated on the idea of changing

humanity for the better, make things worse.

But there is hope, hope for us as individuals, hope for anyone who

wants to be changed. And that’s because the Bible points us to Jesus

Christ, our Creator and Redeemer, and in Him we have been given

wonderful life-changing promises.

By studying the Bible, a sinner can get acquainted with Jesus, who

is the Truth and who has the creative and redemptive and healing

power to change us.

Read

Psalm 19:7, John 17:17, Romans 6:4, Ephesians 4:24, Hebrews

4:12, and 1 Peter 2:24. What promises are found in here for us?

____________________________________________________________________

There’s no question: God’s Word can change our lives. Scripture

pours out a flood of light on us, pushing back spiritual darkness and

revealing to the world the truth about a loving, powerful God who seeks

to transform the lives of all who come to Him in faith. Millions of peo-

ple can testify to the power of the Word of God and what it has done to

their lives. All who surrender themselves in faith and obedience to the

God revealed in the Bible will experience for themselves just what a

dramatic change can be wrought, even in the worst of sinners.

Pick one specific area in which your life has been changed

through reading the Word.What is that area, what changes have

come

and what changes are you still hoping to see?

MONDAY

May 14

Doers of the Word

Who of us hasn’t, at one time or another, echoed the words of Paul:

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of

death?” (Rom. 7:24, NIV). Fortunately, in the next verse, Paul provides

the answer: Jesus Christ alone will rescue us.

Jesus is the Source of our salvation. “For it is by grace you have

been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift

of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9, NIV).

And though faith is a gift of God, how do we receive it?

Read

Romans 10:17. What role does the Bible have in the way we

receive faith?

____________________________________________________________________

The more we read the Bible, the more we know Jesus and the more

faith we shall have. The more we listen to the Words of God, the more

our faith in Him will increase and the more we will experience the

power of God to change our lives.

Many, though, read the Bible, and it does nothing for them. Some

scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ time were well versed in Scripture, but

what good did it do them?

Read

John 5:39, 40. What important spiritual principle is seen here?

See also James 1:22.

Knowledge, even of biblical truth, doesn’t automatically change us

for the good. A teachable spirit and a heart open to the leading of the

Holy Spirit are crucial in the study of the Scriptures. It’s not more

information we need, not even more information about the Bible; it’s

instead a willingness to obey the Bible’s teaching. It is not those who

hear the Word of God who will be blessed but those who follow it

(Matt. 7:24-29). We need to approach the Bible with a desire to apply

it to our lives and to adjust our lives according to its teaching. If we

come to the Scriptures with humility and the desire to do His will, God

will give us a life-changing faith that will permeate all that we do.

Do you pick up the Bible with a humble and teachable heart or

with a critical e

ye, an attitude of resistance, or a lack of trust?

If the latter

y not begin right no

opening the Word with a

prayerful heart, pleading for the Lord to reveal to you His will

and to give you faith and power to follow it? That’s the only way

our life will chang

e f

or the better.

TUESDAY

May 15

Principles of Life

Read

Psalms 19:7-11; 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. What promises are

found here regarding how the Bible should guide how we live?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Every day we are confronted with difficult decisions on how to live.

How do we know how to make the right choices, especially when so

many moral theories exist? One ethicist even has developed a moral-

ity urging that we kill old people who have become a burden, even

though he also argues against killing animals for food!

God, though, has given us His Word as a guide for how we should

live. Whether sacred biographies, the life and teachings of Jesus, or

specific direct biblical instructions—the Word gives us principles to

guide our lives.

Read

Genesis 39:7-14; John 8:3-11; and Philippians 2:3, 4. How might

one take the principles found in these texts and apply them to real-

life situations today? Be prepared to share your answers in class

on Sabbath.

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Though the Bible does not pretend to give instruction on every

problem known to humanity, it does give us wonderful principles that

we can apply to our daily lives. Using these principles, along with

sanctified common sense and guided by the Holy Spirit, we can learn

to walk in the Spirit and be sensitive to the leading of God. Learning

the example of biblical heroes or following the guidelines of the Bible

will change our lives.

We must see the Bible as more than a compilation of historical or

even spiritual facts. We need to see it as the will of God, who desires

the best for our lives. For that reason the Bible can educate our ethics

and tell us w

hat God expects us to do. God has shown us in His Word

how to live. When we follow divine guidance for our happiness, our

lives will be changed by His divine power.

WEDNESDAY

May 16

What Saith the Word of God?

Yesterday we looked at some Bible texts that offered principles on

how the Lord would have us live. Today let’s look at situations people

might find themselves in and ask, What help does the Bible offer, if

any, in these situations? Which texts could you use to give guidance

in the following scenarios?

A fellow co-worker,

in desperate straits, is stealing money

from the place where you both work. What should you do? Ignore

it? Turn the person in? What saith the Word of God?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

A young woman,

unmarried, gets pregnant. She and her

boyfriend are unable to take care of the child even if they were to

marry, which she wants to do. He wants her to get an abortion.

What saith the Word of God?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

A beggar

stands on the sidewalk and holds out his hand for money.

What saith the Word of God?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

A person

you are witnessing to invites you over for a meal and

places pork on the table before you. What saith the Word of God?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

An elderly parent

is comatose, kept alive only through very

expensive medical procedures that are draining the family

income. Should she be kept alive as long as possible, or do you pull

the plug? What saith the Word of God?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

w easy did you find these things to answer? Was the Bible

ery clear in pr

viding ans

s f

or all the situations? Also, if

you didn’t have the Bible as your guide, how different might

your answers have been? Be prepared to share your answers in

class on Sa

bath.

THURSDAY

May 17

Revival and Reformation

So far we’ve been looking at the power of God’s Word to work in

our individual lives. But what about us as a church? What should the

Word of God do for us corporately?

Read

2 Kings 22:8–23:25. What happened here? What role did the

Bible have in the unfolding of this story?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

There was a great reformation in Judah based on the Word of God.

It was a corporate experience, something that impacted the entire

nation.

“Thus Josiah, from his earliest manhood, had endeavored to take

advantage of his position as king to exalt the principles of God’s holy

law. And now, while Shaphan the scribe was reading to him out of the

book of the law, the king discerned in this volume a treasure of knowl-

edge, a powerful ally, in the work of reform he so much desired to see

wrought in the land. He resolved to walk in the light of its counsels,

and also to do all in his power to acquaint his people with its teach-

ings and to lead them, if possible, to cultivate reverence and love for

the law of heaven.”—Ellen G. White,

Prophets and Kings, p. 398.

Another example can be found in the time of King Jehoshaphat,

who sent Bible teachers to teach the law of God. “And they taught in

Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went

about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people”

(2 Chron. 17:9). Although the Bible doesn’t say which specific book

or books were used, the point is that the Written Word, the Scriptures,

was at the basis of this revival and reformation.

Jehoshaphat himself brought about the judicial reforms in harmony

with the moral values expressed in the Bible. By studying

2 Chronicles 19:4-11, we can see the reformation being made in the

judicial system of Jehoshaphat: “ ‘Consider carefully what you do’ ”

(

2 Chron. 19:6, NIV), “ ‘judge carefully’ ” (vs. 7, NIV), “ ‘no injustice

or partiality or bribery’ ” (vs. 7, NIV), “ ‘serve faithfully’ ” (vs. 9,

NIV), “ ‘warn them not to sin against the Lord’ ” (vs. 10, NIV), and

“ ‘act with courage’ ” (vs. 11, NIV). All these principles are found in

the Bib

le.

How easily apostasy from God’s Word can come to the church

as a whole! What can we do to protect our church from making

the same mistak

es as ancient Israel did?

FRIDAY

May 18

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “Jehoshaphat,” pp. 190–203;

“Hezekiah,” pp. 331–339 in Prophets and Kings; “Revival and

Reformation,” pp. 119–152 in Selected Messages, book 1.

“When the heart is brought into harmony with the word, a new life

will spring up within you, a new light will shine upon every line of the

word, and it will become the voice of God to your soul.”—Ellen G.

White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 183.

“In the Bible are found the only safe principles of action. It is a tran-

script of the will of God, an expression of divine wisdom. It opens to

man’s understanding the great problems of life, and to all who heed its

precepts it will prove an unerring guide, keeping them from wasting

their lives in misdirected effort.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the

Apostles, p. 506.

Discussion Questions:

● Knowing the importance of studying the Bible in order to

bring change to our lives and to promote revival and reformation

among God’s people, how can we renew our emphasis on Bible

study? How can we bring the revival and reformation that we

need as individuals and as a church?

● As a class go over the questions presented in Tuesday’s and

Wednesday’s lesson. How similar were your answers to the oth-

ers? How different? What can we learn from one another’s

responses?

● Do you sense a need for the Word of God to have a greater

impact in our lives, not just as individuals, but as a church? As a

class, put together a midweek Bible study and invite as many

members as possible.

● Let members of the class give a testimony to the power of the

Word and what it has done in each of their lives.

● How can you help someone who seeks to have the Bible change

their life and yet nothing seems to be happening? What counsel

would you give?

tor

INSIDE

My Faithful Son: Part 1

GANTULGA TSEDEN

A few years ago life in Mongolia was simple—difficult, but simple.

Then our country was flooded with new ideas, new activities. Young peo-

ple, such as my son, Enkhtaivan [ENK-tai-van], discovered video games.

He spent hours playing these games with his friends. But I feared the

changes that these new ideas would bring to our country. I saw my sweet

teenage son begin to stay out very late playing video games with his

friends, and I worried.

Then someone gave my son a book about a man called Jesus. Then a

friend invited him to a Christian church meeting, and he went. One day he

told me that he had become a Christian.

I knew little about the Christian God and nothing about the church he

was attending. But I had seen a story in the newspaper about some people

who called themselves Christians who were doing crazy things such as

jumping off a high building. I was frightened. Had my son joined a group

such as this?

I began seeing changes in my son. He no longer stayed out late with his

friends, but came home early. He obeyed and became so good to me!

Christianity could not be all bad, I thought.

Then he invited me to go to church with him. “It will be good for you,

Mother,” he said. “You need to change some things in your life, and God

will help you do that.” I thought I was fine and didn’t need to change any-

thing, so I resisted his invitations for several months. But finally I went

with him. He was so excited!

The church met in a rented room, but that did not matter. I was touched

by the speaker’s message. After church the speaker invited me to a small

group Bible study that week. I finished my work early so I could go. I went

to the health expo and evangelistic meetings

that followed, and I enjoyed it all. As we

prayed and studied the Bible together, I real-

ized that Christianity was not just a story;

Jesus died for me! Several months later I was

baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist

Church. It was just in time, for some terrible

trials were heading our way.

(Continued next week)

GANTULGA TSEDEN (left) and her family live in

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

oduced b

y the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*May 19-25

Revelation of Hope

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for this Week’s Study:

Pss. 34:7, 91:4, Rom. 3:26,

1 Cor. 15:51-58, Col. 1:14, 2:13, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, 1 Pet. 3:18, 1 John

1:9, 2:12.

Memory Text:

“For everything that was written in the past was

written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encourage-

ment of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4, NIV).

Key Thought:

The Bible reveals to us a world of hope and prom-

ise.

our World War II fliers, shot down, floated for 21 days on a

small life raft in the middle of the Pacific. They had no water or

food. However, when their thirst got so bad, it rained, and they

caught the rain and drank it; when their hunger became unbearable,

seagulls landed on the rafts, and they caught the birds and ate them.

When finally rescued, they were interviewed, separately, and each

was asked the same question: “To whom do you attribute your sur-

vival?” All the men gave basically the same answer: There was a New

Testament in the raft, which they read every day. And that book gave

them the hope to press on, even when things looked hopeless.

In the Bible,

hope isn’t used in the popular sense of the word, a wish

with little basis in fact. In the Word, hope is presented as the truth

about a lo

ving, omnipotent God who cares about us, who will provide

for us, and w

ho offers us the promise of new existence in a new world.

This week we’ll look at the revelation of hope given to us in the

Word of God.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 26.

SUNDAY

May 20

The “Comfort of the Scriptures”

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for

our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scrip-

tures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

Paul,

in the above verse, talked about the “comfort of the scriptures”

that would lead to hope. What particular things have you found in

the Bible that give you, personally, hope?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

The Bible speaks about the condition of humanity, that we all are

sinners (Rom. 3:10) and that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

The struggle for humanity’s salvation is expressed by Paul when he

said, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body

of death?” (Rom. 7:24, NIV). The answer is found in Jesus Christ our

Lord (Rom. 6:23). Because of His love, Christ was willing to come to

this world, live as a human being, and die the death that we should die.

The Bible points us to the hope of salvation that we can have in Jesus

because of His sacrifice in our behalf.

What

hope is presented to us in these texts?

1. Rom. 3:26, 1 Pet. 3:18

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

2. John 16:13, 2 Tim. 3:16

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

3. Luke 18:29, 30; 1 John 5:13

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

At the cross, Jesus, the One through whom all things were made

(Col. 1:16), bore in Himself the penalty for our sins. Jesus died

in our place

suffer

ed in our stead, all for us. Why would Christ

have gone through so much, for us, if there wasn’t something

incr

edib

y w

orthwhile at the end of it for us? What is at the end,

and what hope does it offer to us?

MONDAY

May 21

Hope of Forgiveness

A woman had been brutally murdered. Police psychologists, after

examining the case, devised a plan to catch the killer. They placed a

hidden microphone and video camera in the ground at her grave. And

they waited. One night a man came to the grave, got on his knees, and

begged the woman for forgiveness. The police got it all on tape.

What drove the man back to his victim? There’s only one answer:

guilt.

As fallen beings, as sinners, we all have done wrong. Even people

who don’t believe in the Bible, who don’t understand the concept of

sin as we do, have a sense of right and wrong, and often feel guilty

when they do wrong. For some people the sense of guilt is over-

whelming. It’s the foundational emotion that drives all that they do.

For many it has led to incredible despair, not only for themselves but

for those who often suffer because of the guilty one’s aberrant behav-

ior.

But there’s hope, and it’s revealed to us in the Scriptures, because in

the Scriptures we are given the story of Jesus and His death on our

behalf.

What

do Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:7, 4:32, Colossians 1:14, 2:13, and

1 John 1:9, 2:12 tell us about the forgiveness offered to everyone

through Jesus?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Yes, the Bible is clear that through Jesus we have forgiveness. As to

the extent of forgiveness, Scripture represents God as saying that He

has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps.

103:12); that He has cast them into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19)

or behind His back (Isa. 38:17); that He has blotted them out or swept

them away

(Ps. 51:1, 9; Isa. 43:25; 44:22) and that He will remem-

ber them no more (Jer. 31:34). Indeed, it was for the sins of the whole

world that Christ died as an atoning sacrifice, efficacious through

faith

(Rom. 3:25, NIV). No matter who you are or what you have done,

your sins can be forgiven by God if you just claim His promises of for-

giveness for yourself.

Are you still struggling with guilt? If so, go back over some of

the te

xts pr

esented toda

y. Read them, pray over them, and pour

out your heart to God, asking Him to give you the assurance

that these promises are for you, regardless of whatever you

might have done.

TUESDAY

May 22

Hope to Overcome Sin

Read

Proverbs 24:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:57. What hope is found in

those verses?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Although we may fall, there is hope—hope that we can rise again

and again if need be, hope that we are not cast away by God. And

though we might sin, Jesus will defend us as our Mediator

(Heb. 7:25,

1 John 2:1). Moreover, the Bible also says that through the power of

Jesus we can have victory over sin.

It’s one thing to claim God’s promises of forgiveness. And there are

many. But what about His promises of victory over sin? Are they not

just as real? Are they not just as important? How crucial, then, that we

make these promises our own and experience their reality in our own

walk with Jesus.

Some members may be struggling to overcome their weaknesses,

whatever they are. The following Scripture-based steps can lead us to

victory:

1. Recognize your weaknesses and that you can’t overcome them in

your own strength (see John 15:5).

2. Claim God’s promises of victory; make them your own (see Phil.

4:13).

3. Believe that the Lord has given you the victory to overcome those

weaknesses and thank Him for the victory (see 1 Cor. 10:13).

4. Claim the promise of “death” to self in Christ (see Rom. 6:11).

5. Take concrete and practical steps to avoid the things that lead you

into sin

(see Rom. 13:14).

6. Live your life in an attitude of praise and prayer to the Lord, who

gives you the power to overcome your weaknesses (see 1 Cor. 15:57).

What about you? You have claimed the Bible promises of for-

giveness, but now are you struggling to get victory? Are you fail-

ing despite all the promises of victory found in the Bible? What

changes do you need to make in order to better apply these

above steps in your own walk with the Lord?

WEDNESDAY

May 23

Provision and Protection

“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous

forsaken or their children begging bread” (Ps. 37:25, NIV).

Read

Matthew 6:25-34.What hope does Jesus offer us in these verses?

What is He saying to each of us?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

As Creator of the universe, the Lord certainly has filled the earth

with His wonderful bounties. The ravages of sin, however, have taken

their loathsome toll, and so not everyone has access to these bounties.

Yet, even amid rampant wealth or abject poverty, we have the prom-

ises of God that He will provide what we need.

At the same time, God also gives us the hope of protection. We are

not under what has been called “the tyranny of chance,” meaning that

our life is ruled by unconscious forces that have no purpose in mind.

Though bad things do happen, those who love God have wonderful

promises that can give us great hope despite calamity.

Read

Psalms 46:1-3, 34:7, 91:4, 125:2, and Matthew 28:20.What hope

do you find in these texts?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

The Lord has given us wonderful promises regarding His loving

care and protection. We can find many examples in the Bible of just

how wonderfully, even miraculously, the Lord protected His people.

Yet, we can also find examples of God’s people suffering, even dying,

while faithful (see Matt. 14:10, Acts 7:59, Heb. 11:35-39). Did the

promise of God fail in those examples? Or, instead, can we—because

of these promises—know that when bad things happen we can trust

that the Lord is still in control and can have hope for the future despite

trials and suffering?

How have you experienced the reality of these promises in your

own life? What have you learned from your own trials and suf-

fering that could help someone going through a hard situation

right no

THURSDAY

May 24

Hope of Everlasting Life

No matter who we are, how rich, how powerful, how beautiful, how

famous, we all face death. Medicine, diet, and exercise only can delay

the inevitable. No matter our backgrounds, our education, our race,

creed, or color, death always gets us. Life here, in and of itself, is

always a losing proposition. Kind of tough, if you think about it: going

through life, struggling with trials, tragedy, sickness, disappointment,

only to have the one thing we fear the most, death, be the only sure

way to end those trials.

Fortunately, the Bible shows us what nature, science, history, and

philosophy never can: that death does not have the final word. On the

contrary, thanks to Jesus, life, eternal life, is how the story ends for

those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Read

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. In your

own words, write down what promise and hope are found for us in

these verses.

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

In this world, itself offering no answer to death, it’s nice to know

that there is an answer, and it’s found in Jesus. It’s nice to know that

death is not the end; it’s not a long dreaded night that never comes to

a morning. The grave is not a prison from which there’s no deliver-

ance. Jesus Christ went into the grave and came out triumphant; and,

thanks to His triumph over death, we will triumph over it too. That’s

how powerful Christ’s ministry was, that’s how efficacious it is for us;

even death can’t beat it.

This is the hope that we find in the Bible, where the story of Jesus

and what He has done for us, and what He will do for us, is found. In

the Bible we find the answer to life’s hardest question, and that is

death. Even more so, in the Bible we find the hope that death doesn’t

have to be the last stop.

Imagine what life would be like if you believed that everything

ended, forever, at death. How differently would your life be

w? Ho

w differently would you act? What reasons could you

give for going on living if, in the end, you knew it would all come

to nothing? How should the hope of eternal life influence how

you live now?

FRIDAY

May 25

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “God’s People Delivered,” pp. 635–

652; “The Controversy Ended,” pp. 662–678 in

The Great Controversy.

“In the word of God there are gracious promises, from which those

who are suffering, whether in body or in mind, may receive comfort

and hope and encouragement.”—Ellen G. White,

Counsels on Health,

p. 213.

“We need to appreciate more fully the meaning of the words, ‘I sat

down under His shadow with great delight.’ Song of Solomon 2:3.

These words do not bring to our minds the picture of hasty transit, but

of quiet rest. There are many professing Christians who are anxious

and depressed, many who are so full of busy activity that they cannot

find time to rest quietly in the promises of God, who act as if they

could not afford to have peace and quietness. To all such Christ’s invi-

tation is, ‘Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest.’ Matthew

11:28.”—Page 251.

Discussion Questions:

● Why, despite the promises in the Bible, are there still so many

suffering people? Why does the Lord allow all these things to

happen? How can we use the Bible to give comfort and hope to

those who are suffering?

● As a class, discuss the role of the church and how the Lord

uses it to help bring to people the hope found in the promises of

God. How can your local church be better used by the Lord to

bring some of these promises to pass in the lives of those who

claim them in the name of Jesus?

● Despite so many clear and unambiguous promises about vic-

tory over sin, why do church members often have so much trou-

ble overcoming? As a class, talk about what steps can be taken to

help each other find the victories that can be so elusive.

● Have people go around the class and share a Bible text that

gives them hope and let each one explain why that text means so

much to him or her.

tor

INSIDE

My Faithful Son: Part 2

by GANTULGA TSEDEN

I thank God that my teenage son, Enkhtaivan [ENK-tai-van], met some

faithful Adventist Christians who led him to the Lord. I am even more

thankful that my son shared his faith in God with me. For two days after

my baptism, my husband had a stroke.

As I sat in the hospital waiting for the doctors to tell me what was

wrong, I felt an incredible peace. Instead of blaming God for what hap-

pened to my husband, I was praising God that He had saved me before this

crisis. Even after the doctors told me there was little hope for my husband,

still I felt at peace. I know if I had not met God before this happened, I

would have been so traumatized.

I stayed with my husband in the hospital for 40 days. Many people asked

me how I survived the ordeal, and I told them, “I was not alone; God was

with me. He gives me strength to carry on.” The members of our church

joined us in prayer for my husband, and slowly he recovered. He can walk

a little now, and when he feels better he wants to come to church with us.

He too believes that God saved his life, and now he wants to worship God

with us in church.

My son started a small group meeting in our home. Having Christians

come to our home has helped us all, especially my husband. My son has

encouraged me a lot. He keeps telling me that God won’t let us go. “Don’t

worry, Mom,” he says. “God will bless us. We have a big family now that

supports us.”

My husband cannot work, so I support the family. Life is difficult, but

God is with us, just as He was when my husband had his stroke. I will

not—cannot—let go of Jesus’ hand.

God is stretching our faith as He expands our ministry. Our little home

has just three rooms—a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. But God

has sent 11 young people from the countryside who want to study here in

Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. Some of these students are

Adventists, and some are not. We have divided the kitchen to make

another room, and somehow we crowd everyone in. We invite all the

young people who live with us to worship God with us, and they do.

Only one thing matters in our life, and that is God and our Lord Jesus.

We want to spend time with Him and share His love with others.

Just think, if you had not given mission offerings to send missionaries

to Mongolia, we might never have known that Jesus loves us! Thank you!

Gantulg

Tseden and her famil

y live in Ulaanbaatar

, Mong

olia.

oduced b

y the General Conf

erence Office of Ad

ventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*May 26–June 1

The Bible and Health

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Matt. 4:23; Luke 4:16-21;

Rom. 6:4, 9-11; Phil. 4:4-9; Col. 1:20, 21; 3:8-10.

Memory Text:

“ ‘I am the Lord, who heals you’ ” (Exodus 15:26, NIV).

Key Thought:

The Word of God gives us good reasons to take

care of our health.

he Bible endorses the value of the physical body; after all, it was

created by God. The believer should, therefore, seek to under-

stand and intentionally put into practice measures that enhance

health. Care for one’s health is a moral matter, evidence of loyalty and

responsible service to God. At the practical level the condition of one’s

health largely determines whether a person can carry out effective

service for the Lord or for anyone they feel called to serve.

Although the foundational goals and values of health from a bibli-

cal perspective are conveyed through God’s Word, the exact means of

achieving these goals has come largely from medical science, which

often validates many of the principles of health found in the Bible.

It is incumbent on all Christians to do what they can to take care of

their health. Health-building activities, including exercise, wholesome

diet, proper systematic rest, practical satisfying work, avoidance of

damaging substances or practices, good habits of cleanliness, culti-

vated efforts to live in peace with and help others, and a profound trust

in God make the best possible use of the life God has given us. Our

bodies are sacred gifts to us from God; we have the responsibility to

take care of them the best we know how.

This week let’s take a look at what the Bible says about health and

the principles found in its pages.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 2.

SUNDAY

May 27

To Be in Health

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and

be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”

(3 John 2).

We tend to think of the Bible as dealing only with the spiritual side,

yet, that’s not the case. Scripture shows that God cares also about our

physical being and that our spiritual side is linked with the physical.

We can find in the Bible good reasons for taking care of our health.

Look

up the following texts and write out what reasons you can find

in them that would call us to take care of our health:

Rom. 12:1

____________________________________________________________________

Rom. 14:7

____________________________________________________________________

1 Cor. 3:16, 17

____________________________________________________________________

1 Cor. 6:19, 20

____________________________________________________________________

Eph. 5:29

____________________________________________________________________

3 John 2

____________________________________________________________________

Scripture makes it clear that God does care about health, our physi-

cal well-being. That makes sense, of course. After all, what loving par-

ent doesn’t care about the health, mental and physical, of their child?

How much more so would the Lord care about ours?

It’s been said that we never care about our health until we lose

it. If healthy, do you take your health for granted? Talk to some-

one struggling with health problems. More than likely, you’ll

better under

stand w

hy our health should be carefully guarded.

MONDAY

May 28

Health and Restoration

In the beginning God, our Creator, created us healthy, without sick-

ness and disease. The plan of salvation is God’s divine way to bring us

back to what we originally lost. He wants to restore us to what we once

had.

Read

Romans 6:4; 9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20;

Colossians 1:20, 21; 3:8-10; 1 John 3:2. What essential message is

given to us from these texts? What hope do they offer?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Healing and restoration often are talked about in the Bible. God’s

promises to restore Israel spill forth in language filled with healing

and curative terms

(Jer. 30:12-17, 33:6, Ezek. 47:12, Mal. 4:2). So

clear is the affinity in the New Testament that one of its principal

words for healing (soteria) may be translated as either “healing” or

“salvation.” Salvation, then, may include not only rescue from sin and

its consequences but also restoration, healing of the whole person.

All biblical teachings are predicated on the basis that, in the end,

what was lost when sin entered will be restored when the One who cre-

ated becomes the One who restores His creation. Having healed our

wounds and borne our transgressions at Calvary, He appears at last in

the book of Revelation as Christus Victor, in triumph over Satan and

the forces of evil

(Rev. 20:14, 21:8). Those who love and serve God

will be restored to the perfect condition that once was; all that is evil,

meanwhile, will be destroyed, never to rise again. In both Old

Testament and New Testament prophecies this new earth is foreseen as

free from sickness, pain, and death

(Isa. 33:24, Rev. 21:4). The apostle

Paul rejoices in Christ’s resurrection as proof that He is Victor over all

evil forces. Christ’s victory has become ours (1 Thess. 4:14-17).

As Adventists we have been given precious light on health and

health principles, all designed to give us a lifestyle that will pre-

vent disease. How seriously do you follow these principles? How

well do you even know them? Why wait until you get sick to start

following principles that could help prevent sickness to begin

with?

TUESDAY

May 29

Jesus, the Great Healer

We often hear of Jesus as the Great Physician. And no wonder.

Roughly calculated, approximately 20 percent of the Gospels is dedi-

cated to His restoring sick people to health. Although in some cases

duplication occurs, the four Gospels report 35 specific instances,

alongside the general reports.

How

central was healing to Jesus’ earthly ministry? (Matt. 4:23, Luke

6:7-19, 9:11).

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Through the miraculous healings Jesus gave great evidence regard-

ing His role as the Savior. But He did so much more, as well. As

humans, we have been damaged spiritually, emotionally, and physi-

cally by sin. The whole plan of salvation centers on restoring to us

what we had once lost. In the beginning there was no sickness and no

death; in the end there won’t be either

(see Rev. 21:4). By healing,

Jesus was showing the world the power of God to bring about restora-

tion, to bring about what was lost by sin. The healings weren’t an end

in themselves; they were all to point to something greater: salvation in

Jesus.

Read

Luke 4:16-21. What do these texts reveal to us about the pur-

pose and ministry of Jesus?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Jesus’ primary task was to proclaim that God is receiving His sin-

ful, suffering creatures in a sweeping act of grace and love. His actions

were evidence of final deliverance from a world of sin. He had come

to deliver, to seek and to save, to forgive, to proclaim the day of God’s

mercy, to confer life everlasting, and to be the Restorer of all that was

lost. He was first of all the Savior, and physical healings were evi-

dences of His authority.

Whatever our illness, whatever our sicknesses, we have wonder-

ful promises in the Bible of healing and restoration; that is,

complete healing and complete restoration. Dwell on this, our

greatest hope. Pray for more faith to believe in those promises.

If you know someone struggling with sickness, point that person

to this hope

WEDNESDAY

May 30

Moderation in All Things

Read

Philippians 4:4-9. What practical principles can you find in these

texts that can have a positive impact on our physical well-being?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Read

1 Corinthians 9:25, Galatians 5:23, and Titus 1:8, 2:2. What

practical admonitions are found in these texts that can have a

definite bearing on our physical health?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

The Greek word used in many of these verses for “temperate”

comes from a word often used in the context of athletic training, of an

athlete who, in preparation for an event such as a race, takes special

care to abstain from that which can hurt his or her body. How much

more so should this principle apply to us as Christians in the race that

we are running

(1 Cor. 9:24-27, Heb. 12:1)?

We all know about health problems that can come from the use of

liquor, illegal drugs, and so forth. Those are the obvious ones. Yet, so

often bad health comes by overindulging in the gifts that God has

given us to enjoy. Contrary to popular caricatures of biblical religion,

it’s not sinful to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. God made us to enjoy

these things, but only in their proper sphere, and in moderation and

with temperance, as so clearly shown in the Bible.

“True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with every-

thing hurtful, and to use judiciously that which is healthful.

There are few who realize as they should how much their habits

of diet have to do with their health, their character, their use-

fulness in this world, and their eternal destiny. The appetite

should ever be in subjection to the moral and intellectual pow-

ers.”—Ellen G. White,

Child Guidance, p. 398. How much sense

Ellen White’s words make! Examine yourself. How moderate

and temperate are you, even with that which is good? What

changes might you need to make?

THURSDAY

May 31

Healthy Relationships

Again and again the Bible speaks about the need of loving one

another. Jesus said that it is the greatest of all commandments (Matt.

22:37-40). When Paul speaks about Christian virtues, such as faith,

hope, and love, he says that the greatest is love (1 Cor. 13:13, NIV).

No wonder Jesus said that one significant characteristic of His fol-

lowers is that they love one another (John 13:35).

How

do the following texts characterize Christian love?

1 Cor. 13:4-7

____________________________________________________________________

1 John 4:7

____________________________________________________________________

1 John 4:18

____________________________________________________________________

Study after study shows how family love—a close loving relation-

ship between parents and children—can stem a tide of evils in young

people, evils that can bear terrible fruit in adulthood.

As God’s people we need to love one another

(1 Thess. 3:2), serve one

another

(Gal. 5:13), bear with one another (Eph. 4:2), be kind to one

another (Eph. 4:32), admonish one another (Rom. 15:14), be tender-

hearted and forgiving to one another (Eph. 4:32), comfort one another

(1 Thess. 4:18), show compassion to one another (1 Pet. 3:8), be

hospitable to one another (1 Pet. 4:9), and pray for one another (James

5:16). These commands, so clearly outlined in the Word, will help us

to be connected with one another as God’s people and will strengthen

family relationships, which ultimately protect our youth from high-risk

behavior. Through forming close bonds and thus giving and receiving

love and care and concern, we can have such a positive moral, spir-

itual, and physical influence on one another. The Scriptures are so

right in showing how important good relationships are for us, not just

spiritually but physically, as well.

Review some of your most basic relationships. From your end,

what motivates these relationships: self-serving or self-giving,

greed or love, a desire for personal gain or a desire to be a bless-

ing?

Think a

bout the g

ood you have done for others. Were the

principles elucidated in today’s lesson the motivating force

behind your relationships?

FRIDAY

June 1

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “The Use of Remedies,” pp. 234–

240; “Diet and Health,” pp. 295–310 in The Ministry of Healing;

“The Health Reform,” pp. 271–296 in Selected Messages, book 3.

“The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very inti-

mate. When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of

the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize.

Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental

depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend

to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death. . . .

“Courage, hope, faith, sympathy, love, promote health and prolong

life. A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and

strength to the soul.”—Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health, p. 344.

“Many of those who came to Christ for help had brought disease

upon themselves, yet He did not refuse to heal them. And when virtue

from Him entered into these souls, they were convicted of sin, and

many were healed of their spiritual disease as well as of their physical

maladies.”—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 73.

Discussion Questions:

● Jesus’ healing ministry formed a crucial component of His

work of leading people to salvation. How can your local church

better use the light we have on health and healing as part of its

outreach to the world?

● As a class, talk about what the Bible says about such things as

diet, use of alcohol, rest, and so forth. What health principles on

these topics do you find in the Bible? To the best of your knowl-

edge, how has modern science validated these principles? How

have members personally benefited from following what the

Bible has to say on these things?

● As a class, take time to visit any members who are sick or

hurting. Bring Bible promises to share with them. At the same

time, in what practical ways can you minister to them and help

relieve their sufferings?

tor

INSIDE

The Pot-and-Pan Evangelist

by JOTA WASHINGTON F. A LVES

Geraldina Alves works in a small factory that makes household goods

in eastern Brazil. She is a faithful Seventh-day Adventist who loves the

Lord and wants to share her faith with others. But she wasn’t sure how she

could reach people outside her circle of friends. Then God showed her one

way that was, quite literally, right under her nose.

“God inspired me to put a tract inside each pot or pan, each plate or cup

we sell,” she said. “We send out up to four thousand items a day; I could

share that many tracts each day.”

Geraldina spoke to the factory’s owner, who gave her permission to

include the tracts. She began inserting a tract on top of each pot, so it

would be the first thing the new owners would see when they opened the

box. Often during the day as Geraldina placed the tracts into the boxes, she

prayed for the people who would find them. She doubted that she ever

would know the outcome of her missionary adventure, but she was happy

to do what she could for God.

In another city, Maria da Silva suffered from depression. Her life felt

dark, and she could see little hope for her future. Then her husband bought

her a pressure cooker from Geraldina’s factory. As Maria opened the box,

a colorful tract fell out. Picking it up, she looked at it.

As Maria read the tract, a glimmer of hope flickered across her heart.

“God loves me?” she said to herself, trying to capture the truth of the state-

ment. She forgot her new pan as she read the tract carefully. She found an

address on the back where she could write for more information and to

request Bible studies.

Maybe there is hope for me, she thought. She wrote to the address on

the tract, and a few weeks later, she received her first Bible study lessons.

Maria showed them to her family, and together they began studying God’s

Word in depth. In time the entire family was baptized together.

A few months later Geraldina Alves, the “pot evangelist” met Maria da

Silva and her family on Adventist television’s Novo Tempo. “Even though

you did not know me, you and your tract saved my life,” Maria told

Geraldina.

Mission takes many forms. Sometimes it’s a sacrificial offering or a car-

ing visit with someone who needs to hear of God’s love. And other times

it’s a tract in a pot.

ota

ashington F

Alves is str

ategic manager of Novo Tempo Television Network in Brazil.

oduced b

y the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

eb site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*June 2-8

The Bible and

Happiness

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Luke 21:36, John 8:32,

1 Cor. 10:13, Phil. 2:3, Col. 3:13, 1 Pet. 3:15, 4:12-14, 1 John 1:4.

Memory Text:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to

kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that

they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Key Thought:

The Bible offers us answers for one of life’s most

elusive goals: happiness.

verybody wants to be happy, yet, few know how to achieve it.

The world offers all sorts of enticements that promise happiness

but always prove in the end to be shallow, fleeting, and empty.

Can we find happiness in this sinful world? We can, but only by

going back to the Source of all happiness: God. Pain, suffering, and

unhappiness are the result of our separation from God; only to the

degree, then, that we return to Him can we find the happiness that we

all long for but that the world itself doesn’t offer.

This week we’ll look at some biblical principles regarding happiness.

We’ll also focus, at least for a few days, on the family unit itself, for here

is where so much of our happiness or unhappiness originates. The Bible

offers us wonderful principles that, if applied, can protect our families

from so many things that all but guarantee misery and suffering. And

regardless of the past, regardless of the mistakes made that have hurt us

or that we have made that have hurt others, God, through His Word, offers

us promises that can bring healing and happiness. “The

y will enter Zion

with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will

ertake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away”

(Isa. 35:10, NIV).

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 9.

SUNDAY

June 3

Life, Abundantly

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it

more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Read

the above text.What is Jesus saying to us? How do we understand

the idea of having life “more abundantly”? What do you think

that includes? What does it not include?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

At the foundation of all that we believe and hope for as Christians

is the promise of eternal life (1 John 2:25). Without that, whatever

else Jesus does for us, even now, is all in vain (1 Cor. 15:16-19).

Yet, the promises that God has given to us in the Bible aren’t all

other-worldly; they don’t all pertain to life in a new heaven and a new

earth without sin, suffering, and death. The Word of God promises us

many things here and now, things that can greatly help us know now

what Jesus means when He talked about giving us life “more abun-

dantly.”

Look

up John 8:32, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 2:8, 1 Peter 3:15,

and 1 John 1:4. What promises are found in these texts? What do

they offer us in this life, here and now?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

God loves us; and because He loves us, He wants us to be happy. He

wants what’s best for us. Through His Word, God has revealed Himself

to us and has shown us what He is willing to do for us if we will but

allow Him to. How often we, ourselves, are the biggest hindrance to

our own happiness.

What things of y

our o

wn doing stand in the way of your “more

abundantly” enjoying life offered to us through Jesus? Once you

admit w

hat these things ar

, how can you get rid of them?

MONDAY

June 4

Rejoice Before the Lord

“God created the earth to be the abode of holy, happy beings.”

—Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 540. That happiness, of

course, was disrupted by sin

(Gen. 3:16-18); and not until sin finally

is eradicated will we enjoy the full happiness that only sinless beings

in a sinless world can enjoy.

Meanwhile, even in this sinful world, God has provided the means

by which we can achieve a certain amount of happiness, contentment,

and joy in this life.

What

promises did God make to Israel, provided, of course, they were

obedient? Lev. 23:40; Deut. 12:7, 12, 18; 16:11?

____________________________________________________________________

Study after study shows that in regard to the kinds of factors that

give an indication of “happiness,” those who have faith in God come

out better than those who live with no faith. After all, as Christians,

think about what the Word has revealed to us: that we have a loving,

caring God who loved us so much that He came down to earth, took

on human flesh

(Rom. 8:3), and in that flesh died for our sin (Rom.

5:8), and that because of His death we have the promise of eternal life

in a world made new (Rev. 21:1). We have the hope that this life isn’t

all that there is. Meanwhile, we have from Him many precious prom-

ises about Him being with us

(Matt. 28:20), guiding us (John 16:13),

helping us (Heb. 4:16), never leaving or forsaking us (Heb. 13:5), and

so forth. No wonder we should be happier than those who know noth-

ing about these promises.

Look

up Exodus 20:1-17; Proverbs 3:5; Luke 21:36; Philippians 2:3;

Colossians 3:13; 1 Peter 4:1, 2; and 2 John 1:5, and note the prin-

ciples found in them. How would each one, in its own way, add to

our happiness here if we were to obey what they say? Ask yourself,

too: “How well am I seeking to follow the principles found in these

texts?”

____________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY

June 5

The Family Foundation: Part 1

The Bible says the world was created by the word of God and that

He created humankind in His own image (Gen. 1:26, 27). He designed

man and woman, He blessed the first marriage, and He made marriage

the foundation of the family. And, as we all know so well, a strong, sta-

ble family is a crucial component in creating happy lives. As the

psalmist says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in

vain” (Ps. 127:1, NIV). In the family we can experience love and hap-

piness. It is for this reason that the Word clearly says, “ ‘Therefore

what God has joined together, let man not separate’ ” (Matt. 19:6,

NIV). The Lord desires His children to understand that if they marry,

they have made a covenant to be faithful to each other for as long as

they live. The Word also explains how this marriage relationship can

be strengthened: marry only another believer (2 Cor. 6:14-16), be

completely loyal to each other (Heb. 13:4), and express love and

appreciation for each other (Song of Sol. 7:1-9). The family that

abides by the Word of God will experience the joy of His presence as

they follow His commandments.

What

principles for a strong family can be found in the following

texts?

Rom. 12:1

____________________________________________________________________

Rom. 14:7

____________________________________________________________________

1 Cor. 3:16, 17

____________________________________________________________________

1 Cor. 6:19, 20

____________________________________________________________________

How can you apply the principles stated in the above texts and

strengthen your own family relationships? Meanwhile, what can

you do to help heal the wounds from past family relationships

that ha

ve gone sour?

WEDNESDAY

June 6

The Family Foundation: Part 2

The family is the foundation of everything human; destroy or even

weaken that foundation, and so much else crumbles with it. How cru-

cial, as Christians, that we do everything we can to protect the sanc-

tity of our homes (and “home” includes everything from living by our-

selves to being part of a large family).

back over the Ten Commandments. How many of those command-

ments are directly related to family concerns, and how are they

related? Why would families be stronger and more secure if all

these commands were followed?

____________________________________________________________________

A crucial aspect of family life deals with responsibility. The Bible

says that each person—husband, wife, or child—must bear respon-

sibility for the choices they make

(2 Cor. 5:10). If each individual

knows and accepts his or her responsibility as spelled out by the Word,

the family ties will be greatly strengthened. The Word gives guidelines

about the responsibility of each individual. The Word says that

Abraham commanded “his children and his household after him to

keep the way of the Lord” (Gen. 18:19, NIV). To parents, the Word

says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he

will not turn from it”

(Prov. 22:6, NIV). The Word also admonishes

parents to avoid treating their children in a way that will cause them

to become discouraged

(Col. 3:21). To the children, the Word says,

“ ‘Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the

land the Lord your God is giving you’ ” (Exod. 20:12, NIV), and

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1,

NIV). To the husbands, the Word says, “love your wives, just as Christ

loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25, NIV), and

to the wives, “Submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the hus-

band is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his

body” (vs. 22, 23, NIV).

What are your own responsibilities in regard to your family?

How well are you meeting those responsibilities? Are you doing

ything that can damage the happiness and sanctity of your

family? Which areas in your family relationships need improve-

ment?

THURSDAY

June 7

“Not As the World Giveth”

As we’ve said all week, God loves us and wants us to be happy. At

the same time, we must remember that we are in a world of sin, of

death, of suffering, a world in the midst of a war between good and

evil. And as in all wars, there are casualties. In fact, we all have suf-

fered in this war, one way or another. Thus, despite the many promises

that we have in the Bible, promises that offer us much comfort and

hope, we all are destined to suffer in this life.

Think

about the lives of Abraham, David, Jesus, and Paul. Would you

characterize them as “happy”? Defend your answer.

____________________________________________________________________

One of the crucial things to consider is how we understand happi-

ness. Jesus Himself gives a key when He said, “Peace I leave with you,

my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let

not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”

(John 14:27). In

other words, we have to realize that worldly ideas of peace or even

happiness aren’t the same as biblical ideas. Worldly happiness can be

based on fleeting and temporal things, things that in their time and

place can be good. But sooner or later all these things vanish, and to

build our hope and happiness on them is to build on sand. For the

Christian, happiness has to be based on something deeper than the

fleeting and uncertain joys of this life. That we can enjoy these things,

and derive some pleasure and happiness from them, is important; but

we must keep our hope based “where neither moth nor rust doth cor-

rupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal”

(Matt. 6:20).

Read

Luke 10:20, John 14:27, Philippians 3:7-11, 4:6-13, and 1 Peter

4:12-14. What principles are found in these texts that can help us

better understand what it means to be “happy” in this life, even

amid inevitable suffering and sorrow? Also, as you read them, ask

yourself, “How well am I applying these principles to my own

life?”

____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________

FRIDAY

June 8

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “Factors That Make for Success or

Failure,” pp. 77–96; “From the Marriage Altar,” pp. 97–128 in The

Adventist Home.

“This feeling of guiltiness must be laid at the foot of the cross of

Calvary. The sense of sinfulness has poisoned the springs of life and

true happiness. Now Jesus says, ‘Lay it all on Me; I will take your sin,

I will give you peace. Destroy no longer your self-respect, for I have

bought you with the price of My own blood. You are Mine, your weak-

ened will I will strengthen; your remorse for sin, I will remove.’ Then

turn your grateful heart, trembling with uncertainty, and lay hold upon

the hope set before you. God accepts your broken contrite heart. He

offers you free pardon. He offers to adopt you into His family with His

grace to help your weakness, and the dear Jesus will lead you on step

by step, if you will only put your hand in His and let Him guide

you.”—Ellen G. White,

This Day With God, p. 63.

“The children of God may rejoice in all things and at all times.

When troubles and difficulties come, believing in the wise provi-

dences of God, you may rejoice. You need not wait for a happy flight

of feeling, but by faith you may lay hold of the promises, and lift up a

hymn of thanksgiving to God. When Satan tempts you, breathe not a

word of doubt or darkness.”—Ellen G. White,

The Advent Review and

Sabbath Herald, Feb. 11, 1890.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, talk about this whole idea of happiness. What are

your definitions of happiness? Should we expect to be happy all

the time? Is there something wrong with our walk with the Lord

if we don’t feel happy? How can happiness be used as a ploy by

Satan to deceive us? At the same time, how can God use unhap-

piness as a means of reaching people?

● What do you say to a Christian who admits that he or she is

not happy? What counsel would you give that person?

● As a class, discuss this thought: Can a person in the Lord be

happy even while suffering for Christ’s sake?

tor

INSIDE

Holding Back Elephants and

Rain

by ALAGAPPAN KATHAPERUMAL PILLAI

I must admit, I was dubious. I had been asked to conduct evangelistic

meetings in a remote area of Sri Lanka, high in the hilly heart of this island

nation. The region where we would hold the meetings was remote, with-

out telephone or radio. How would we let people know of the meetings?

Besides this, the meetings were scheduled for the rainy season, and we

would meet outdoors. Finally, the pastor warned us that this area was home

to a band of some twenty wild elephants, which are capable of killing

people who get in their way.

My wife and I boarded a bus to take us into the hills. There we met our

driver, who would take us to our destination. Along the roadside, our

driver pointed to uprooted trees and bushes. “The elephants,” he

explained. “People in this area fear them and will not come to our meet-

ings if the elephants are nearby. And if you see one, you must run and hide

behind a large rock. If an elephant sees you in his path, he’ll kill you.” I

prayed earnestly that God would send the elephants away.

When we arrived at our destination, we were told that the elephants had

been seen leaving the area, but we still prayed that they would not come

near our meetings and would not keep anyone from coming to the meet-

ings.

Then there was the problem of rain. During the rainy season, we could

expect it to rain all day and all night. Again we prayed that God would

keep the rain away. The morning of our first meeting dawned rainy. Rain

fell until mid-afternoon, then it stopped until the meetings ended. Not

once during the meetings did it rain! And not once did we see an elephant!

The one hundred or so people who came to the meetings noticed these

miracles, and their faith was strengthened.

On the final Sabbath, we planned an all-day celebration. We met near a

stream for Sabbath School and worship service, celebrated the baptism of

22 new believers, and had an afternoon praise service. Not once during

this time did it rain, not even a drop. But about 7:00

P.M. it began raining

and poured all night and most of the next day.

We thank God for k

eeping the rain and the elephants at bay so that His

children could come and listen to God’s precious truths without fear.

our mission of

ferings help fund such e

vangelistic efforts and help pay

for the Global Mission worker who is following up the interests and nur-

turing the new believers in this area. Thank God, and thank you.

ALA

GAPP

THAPER

UMAL

PILLAI

is a pastor in Colombo

, Sri Lanka.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*June 9-15

Daily Wisdom

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Pss. 19:7-14; 119:98-105;

Prov. 3:13-16; 30:8, 9; Matt. 13:22; 16:26; Rom. 12:17, 18; 13:1-4.

Memory Text:

“From infancy you have known the holy Scrip-

tures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith

in Christ Jesus”

(2 Timothy 3:15, NIV).

Key Thought:

Scripture provides us with a lot of wisdom for

our daily lives.

s we’ve been studying, though the Bible deals with grand

themes of universal importance, such as the great controversy,

the fall of Lucifer, and the death of Jesus as a sacrifice for the

sins of the world, it’s also a book of practical wisdom. In it, we are

given guidance for daily life. Though the Bible might not be specific

(how could it?), the Lord through His Word has given us wonderful

principles that—if followed and obeyed—will make a great difference

in how we live, because it will impact the choices we make.

How important that when confronted with choices—whether about

family relationships, social relationships, work, money, or leadership

responsibilities—we have divine guidance. And why not? The God

who knows when a sparrow falls

(Matt. 10:29) obviously cares about

us and wants what’s best for us; thus, we can be sure that if we are

open to His leading, if we are willing to open His Word with rever-

ence, submission, and f

aith, He will guide us.

This w

eek w

e’

ll look more at the wisdom God shares with us

through His Word.

*Study this w

eek’

s lesson to pr

epar

e f

or Sabbath, June 16.

SUNDAY

June 10

The Source of Wisdom

Everyone, every day, is confronted with choices, with decisions that

must be made. As we all know, wrong choices are made every day too.

Often selfishness is at the core of these choices, because—as fallen

beings—we are, above all, selfish beings. How often, too, our wrong

choices bring pain and suffering upon ourselves and others.

Think

back about some wrong choices you have made and their dread-

ful consequences, not to berate yourself (there is forgiveness and

healing at the Cross!) but simply to enforce the point that wrong

decisions can be costly.

The good news is that God has given us His Word as a light and

guide for us sinful, selfish beings (Ps. 119:105).

In the Bible we can find principles that can give us the wisdom we

need to make the right decisions, particularly on moral issues.

Read

Psalms 19:7-14, 119:98-105, Proverbs 3:13-16, and John 17:17.

What promises and principles are found in these texts that can

help us correctly make important moral decisions?

____________________________________________________________________

It’s one thing to read about biblical principles; it’s wholly another to

follow them. As the psalmist said: “And in keeping of them there is

great reward”

(Ps. 19:11). The wisdom found in the Bible is useless

unless applied. There are a lot of people out there who, though know-

ing the biblical principles, act contrary to them anyway. As Christians

not only do we need to know what the Bible says; we need to obey

what it says. Only then can we truly have the wisdom available to us

through God’s Word. A wise person isn’t someone who simply has

head knowledge or who can recite text after text; a wise person is

someone who acts upon the truths given to us through Scripture.

What important decisions are you facing? Have you consulted

the Scriptures as you face these decisions? Think through care-

fully the consequences of your choices. What Bible promises can

ou claim as y

ou seek to mak

e the right decision r

egarding your

choices?

MONDAY

June 11

Social Wisdom

As humans we have our private lives, the lives we live at home

behind closed doors; at the same time, we are also social creatures,

living in a society with other people who do not share with us our pri-

vacy and intimacy.

Indeed, we are not only private persons but public citizens. Here,

too, we can find wisdom in God’s Word on how we can best live in our

various communities.

an earlier lesson, we looked at how obedience to the Ten Command-

ments could impact our family relationships. Read them again

(Exod. 20:1-17) and ask yourself how following these principles

will contribute to better social relationships, as well.

____________________________________________________________________

It has been estimated that throughout the centuries humanity has

enacted more than thirty-two million laws, all in an effort to regulate

human conduct. Often these laws are changed and abrogated in order

to be kept up to date. Not so with the Ten Commandments; the prin-

ciples behind them are unchanging and eternal, principles that can

guide us in our private and public lives.

The Bible gives us wisdom regarding how we can best live as citi-

zens within the larger community. Scripture provides us with more

principles that, if followed, can make us better citizens and better wit-

nesses for the Lord in the public arena.

What

wisdom do you find in Jeremiah 29:7; Romans 12:17, 18; 13:1-4;

and 1 Peter 2:13, 14, 17, that will help us better function in soci-

ety? What other texts can you think of? As you read these verses,

ask yourself: How am I best able to apply these words to the par-

ticular society in which I live?

____________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY

June 12

Wisdom in the Workplace

Scripture acknowledges the reality and need of human work. Adam

and Eve, as soon as they were created, were asked to dress and keep the

Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15). Even after the devastation of sin (Gen. 3:

17-19), work was designed to be a blessing for humanity (Eccles. 3:22).

Furthermore, the Bible recorded the teaching of Paul, who said that if a

man refused to work, he had no right to eat (2 Thess. 3:10). Jesus was no

less than 30 years of age when He emerged into public life (Luke 3:23),

and the Bible says that people knew Him as a carpenter (Mark 6:3).

We know that obeying God’s will is related to obeying His written

Word. When we obey God’s Word, we are obeying His will. But where

the Bible reflects His general will, His will for our lives is specific.

Though the Lord presents general principles on how to live, we can

use those principles to guide us in the more specific areas of our lives,

such as in our work.

Inasmuch as the Bible speaks about the need for humans to work,

and that working is a major activity of human beings, it’s no surprise

that the Bible gives us wisdom regarding work.

What

principles found in the following texts can apply to our work

situation?

Eccles. 9:10

____________________________________________________________________

Matt. 25:14-30

____________________________________________________________________

Gal. 6:4

____________________________________________________________________

Col. 3:23, 24

____________________________________________________________________

The Bible shows some specific attitudes and characteristics of a

good worker, which includes good use of time (Matt. 25:14-28), dili-

gence (Prov. 12:24), integrity, and respect for authority (Eph. 6:5, 6).

Most important, we should be honest in all our dealings, either as an

employee or as an employer (Prov. 11:1).

What areas do you struggle with the most in your job, at least

as far as following biblical principles? What’s the reason for

our struggles?

What practical choices can you make to better

follow biblical principles regarding work?

WEDNESDAY

June 13

The Bible and Wealth

“ ‘Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily

bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say,

“Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dis-

honor the name of my God’ ”

(Prov. 30:8, 9, NIV).

Read

the above text. What wisdom is found here that can help us all

deal with the topic of money and wealth?

____________________________________________________________________

Time and again we read in the Bible about how dangerous wealth can

be to the spiritual well-being of the followers of the Lord. In His divine

foresight the Lord saw the coming apostasy of ancient Israel, saying,

“and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat” (Deut.

31:20; see also Deut. 32:15), and in that state they will turn away from

Him and serve other gods. At the same time, the Bible talks about the

slothfulness and laziness that can lead to poverty, which can in its own

way lead to sin and ruin. Both pitfalls need to be avoided.

Read

Matthew 13:22, 16:26, 19:24, and 1 Timothy 6:10. What do these

texts say about the potential dangers of wealth?

____________________________________________________________________

Money can do strange things to people. Unlike food, water, or rest,

no matter how much money people make, it never seems enough.

Sometimes, in fact, the richer people are, the greedier they become.

Scripture, however, gives us principles that can help us better under-

stand how we should relate to money and the gathering of wealth. In

our desire for money, how crucial that we remember that in the end,

the only treasure that lasts is the “treasure in heaven”

(Mark 10:21).

What do you think the Bible means when it talks about “treas-

ure in heaven”? What is this treasure in heaven, how do we get

it, and how can focusing on it help protect us from the pitfalls of

seeking too much treasure here on earth?

THURSDAY

June 14

Wise Leadership

Let’s face it: In this world, as it exists now, there will always be a

place and a role for leaders of one kind or another.

Unfortunately, oftentimes people who rise to the level of leadership

will seize the opportunity to serve themselves without thinking of the

people they are leading. The Bible gives examples of unselfish and

successful leaders such as Moses, as well as dangerous and immoral

ones, such as King Herod.

Read

Matthew 20:25-27. What important principle about leadership

comes from these verses?

____________________________________________________________________

Look

at Matthew 20:28. How did Jesus manifest this principle of a

leader serving others in His own life? What can we take from His

example f

or ourselves?

____________________________________________________________________

According to Robert Greenleaf, a servant-leader is one who is a serv-

ant first. “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to

serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The

difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant—first to

make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.

The best test is: Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being

served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely

themselves to become servants?”—

The Power of Servant Leadership

(San Francisco: Berrett-Kochler Publishers, Inc., 1998), p. 4.

If all leaders in the past two thousand years had followed the lead-

ership style of Jesus, how different human history would have been!

Of course, leaders who are willing to serve are few and far between.

But as Christians, we should be in the forefront of showing just how

it can be done.

Are you in any kind of leadership role at all? If so, how well are

you reflecting the principle about leadership revealed here

today? How much selfishness and desire for power motivates

you, in contrast to the desire to minister and serve?

FRIDAY

June 15

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “How Shall We Search the

Scriptures?” pp. 105–111; “Dig Deeper,” p. 119; “Practical Instruction

in Labor,” pp. 309–318 in Testimonies to Ministers.

“The Bible contains all the principles that men need to understand

in order to be fitted either for this life or for the life to come. And

these principles may be understood by all.”—Ellen G. White,

Education, p. 123.

“Those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ

will be enabled to act wisely at all times and under all circumstances.

Good principles will be illustrated in actual life.”—Ellen G. White,

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 43.

“The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and a perfect adaptation

to the needs and longings of the human heart, that has astonished and

charmed the most highly cultivated minds, while it enables the hum-

ble and uncultured to discern the way of salvation. And yet these sim-

ply stated truths lay hold upon subjects so elevated, so far-reaching, so

infinitely beyond the power of human comprehension, that we can

accept them only because God has declared them.”—Page 700.

Discussion Questions:

● How can faithfulness in paying tithes and giving offerings help

protect us against the dangers of greed?

● How seriously do we in our daily lives go to the Bible for wis-

dom in making decisions? As a class, talk about how, in a practi-

cal way, we can do that. Pick a few examples, such as Should I

marry this person? Should I take this job? Should I move? How

can you find in the Bible answers to these specific questions? Or

can you?

● Discuss the question of leadership, and how easy it is for lead-

ers to become selfish and use their power for selfish instead of

selfless reasons. What have been some class members’ experi-

ences in this area? What have you learned that could be of bene-

fit to others?

tor

INSIDE

A Better Way

by LUKA INDI

John and Nora Omanga live in southern Sudan, where they belonged to

the major Protestant church in the area. One day Luka, a friend from their

church, came to visit.

“I have found a better way,” he said. “I have found God’s true church.”

John and Nora listened as Luka explained. “I wondered why our church

kept Sunday and asked our priest. He said that in Greek the word

Sabbath

means Sunday. But now I have learned the truth.” Luka opened his Bible,

written in the Moro language, and translated it for John and Nora.

The couple listened to Luka and wondered if what he said was true. The

two men began studying the Bible together. John had no Bible of his own,

so he tried to memorize what Luka read.

One day two Global Mission pioneers came to their area. They helped

people work in their gardens in order to get to know them. When the pio-

neers learned of John and Nora’s interest in the Bible, they offered to study

with them. Eagerly the couple agreed. Three months later John and Nora

joined the Adventist Church.

The chief had given the pioneers permission to live in the area, but when

the local priest learned what they were doing, he angrily demanded that

the chief send the pioneers away. The chief had given his word and could

not make them leave, but he threatened to cane anyone who became an

Adventist.

When the chief learned that John and Nora had become Seventh-day

Adventists, he cursed them, saying that deadly snakes would strike them.

One day as John worked in his garden, a large viper leaped at him. He

managed to kill it before it struck him, but John remembered the curse and

prayed earnestly for God’s protection.

On a hot sticky night some weeks later, the family slept outside their hut

to avoid the mosquitoes that swarmed inside. Later, a noise awoke them,

and they found their hut engulfed in flames. The family lost nearly every-

thing, but they were safe. “For once we were glad that mosquitoes had

driven us out of the house,” John said.

Recently believers in their area have received the first Bibles in

Avokaya, their own language. Now they can explain Bible truths to others

in their own language.

Our mission offerings support Global Mission pioneers and other evan-

gelistic outreaches in Sudan and other countries around the world.

LUKA INDI

is a local elder in Bahar

-olo

, southern Sudan.

oduced b

y the General Conf

erence Office of Ad

ventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*June 16-22

Growing Through the

Word

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Matt 22:37, 38; Gal.

2:20; 5:14; Eph. 4:14, 15; Heb. 4:2; 5:12-14.

Memor

y T

ext:

“We will no longer be infants. . . . We will in all

things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ”

(Ephesians 4:14, 15, NIV).

Key Thought:

The Bible plays a pivotal role in our spiritual

growth.

he Bible makes it clear that our walk with Christ doesn’t end on

the day of conversion. On the contrary, when people give them-

selves totally to Christ, they begin a whole new life, a whole

new existence

(Rom. 6:4). It’s not that a new Christian has to work to

reach salvation, as in other faiths; instead, because he or she already

has salvation, already stands perfect and accepted in God, the

Christian begins to live a life that reveals and reflects that salvation.

Sure, we are saved by faith, but what kind of faith? A faith that is

expressed in a life that reveals a commitment to Jesus Christ.

Central to our new life in Christ is spiritual growth. As Christians,

we can’t remain static: We are always in the process of change as we

should better reflect the image of Jesus Christ. And crucial to the

whole growth process is the Word of God, which shows us how and

y w

e must “g

w in the g

race and knowledge of our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ”

(2 Pet. 3:18, NIV).

This week we’ll study about what it means to grow in Christ, and

we’ll see the pivotal role the Word of God must play in that growth.

*Study this w

eek’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 23.

SUNDAY

June 17

The Need for Growth

When Nicodemus went to see Jesus by night and asked Him how to

have eternal life, Jesus immediately answered by saying that we need

to be born again (John 3:3, 5). This condition indicates that a

Christian life begins as a baby. When the beginning of Christian life is

portrayed as a new birth, and the new believer is considered a babe in

Christ, it’s important for every Christian to be nurtured and have

opportunity to grow into spiritual maturity.

Peter appealed to the believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”

(2 Pet. 3:18, NIV). Earlier, after

using a new-birth illustration (1 Pet. 1:23), Peter urged those to whom

he was writing to desire the “milk of the word” by which they would

grow (1 Pet. 2:1-3).

Read

Hebrews 5:12-14. What point is Paul making here about spir-

itual growth? How does he define spiritual immaturity, and how

does he contrast it to spiritual maturity?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul shows that accepting Jesus isn’t the end

of our spiritual walk but the beginning. There is a need for growth.

“Perfecting holiness” means to bring it to completion. He also in

Ephesians admonished followers of Christ to lead a life worthy of

their calling (Eph. 4:1).

It’s clear from the Word that though we are saved by faith, though

our acceptance with God is based on the righteousness of Jesus cred-

ited to us by grace through faith alone, the Christian life is one of spir-

itual and moral progress. We are to change, and for the better; we are

to reflect more and more the character of God

(see 1 Pet. 1:14-16).

Look over your life as a Christian, regardless of how long you

have been one. In what areas have you seen much spiritual growth

and maturity? What are the weaker areas? Why, as you seek to

advance in the Christian life, must your hope of salvation rest not

on y

ourself but only on Jesus and the merits of His righteousness?

MONDAY

June 18

Growing in Faith

In Hebrews 3 and 4 Paul talked about the children of Israel, who,

after escaping from Egypt, had wandered in the desert for 40 years.

What’s most fascinating, however, is what Paul said about them in

Hebrews 4:2.

Read

Hebrews 4:2. What was the problem with the children of Israel?

What crucial element was lacking?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What makes the answer so troubling is the fact that this generation

had so much evidence of God’s leading. Go back over the story of the

Exodus and of what happened to them in the desert. God performed

miracle after miracle, everything from the parting of the Red Sea to

the daily provision of the manna. And yet, they still lacked faith!

What

lessons about faith, about what it means to have faith, can we

draw from this account? See Heb. 3:12.

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

So often people think that if only they had more signs, more evi-

dence, their faith in God would grow. But it doesn’t work that way.

Faith, or the lack thereof, isn’t an intellectual matter, or even a matter

of signs and wonders. It’s a matter of the heart. We can grow in faith

only to the degree that we surrender our hearts and souls to the Lord;

we can grow in faith only through exercising our faith; we can grow in

faith only to the degree that we study God’s Word with a heart open to

learn from Him.

God is the Source of faith, but we must put our trust in Him. Faith

grows through study of the Word

(Rom. 10:17), but we must take the

time and put forth the effort for that study. The more we study, with a

heart and mind surrendered to the Lord, the more we know about our

loving God. And the more we know Him, the more we love and trust

Him. The more we can trust Him, the more we do whatever He wants

us to do. Study of the Word of God is absolutely essential if we want

our f

aith to g

A number of years ago a scholar left Christianity. He told some-

one later, “Had I kept up reading my Bible, studying it, and apply-

ing it to m

y life

I probably wouldn’t have lost my faith.” How pre-

cious is your faith to you? You can know the answer by this simple

question: How carefully do you guard and nurture that faith?

TUESDAY

June 19

Growing in Love

The Scriptures say that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and

mind, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to love our enemies

and our fellow believers. These are God’s commands, and they aren’t

always easy to follow, because we are by nature selfish sinners who love

self above and beyond everything else. If you love someone, usually it

is someone who loves you back. But the Scriptures say that’s not enough

(Matt. 5:44). It really takes growing in the Lord to be able to love, not

only those who don’t love you, but those who are your enemies.

Read

1 Corinthians 13:8. What point is Paul making? Why is that

point so important? What does that point tell us about the impor-

tance and power of love? See also Matt. 22:37, 38; Gal. 5:14; 1 John

3:14; 4:7, 8, 16.

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

The word love is used so often that it is easy to lose sight of what it

actually means. Biblical examples show that love is something we do

rather than simply an emotion. Scripture speaks about love as attitude

and actions (1 Corinthians 13). We know that love will motivate us to

action. The Bible clearly gives an example of what true love really is:

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for

us”

(1 John 3:16, NIV). To love at this level, we need to get beyond

our own rights, our own interests, and our own hurts; and we can do

this only through the power of God, only as we grow in Him and His

grace.

How often have you ever been wrong, wrong about theology, wrong

about doctrine, wrong about the motives of other people? And yet,

love never fails; that is, whatever errors and mistakes we make, we can

never go wrong when we love others. We might make a million mis-

takes, but love can never be one, not when we are commanded to love

even our enemies. It’s hard to imagine what our witness would be like

if all who professed the name of Christ loved the way Christ loved.

Look at your recent actions toward the people you frequently

come in contact with.

What do y

our actions sa

y a

bout ho

w w

ell

you love these people, if at all? What do these actions say to you

about your own need to learn more about how to love as God

ould ha

ve us love?

100

WEDNESDAY

June 20

Growing in Christ

Read

Ephesians 4:14, 15. How does Paul here describe growth in

Christ?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Considering that the Bible is our final authority on all doctrine, how

crucial then that studying the Word is for us to grow in Christ. Only

through knowing the Word and what it teaches can we be protected

from the “sleight of men.”

Yet, it’s not enough just to read the Bible. It needs to be obeyed. We

need to follow what it says; otherwise, it will effect no change in us.

By obeying, by seeking to be like Christ in our words, in acts, and

even in our minds, we will grow in Him.

Paul wrote to the Romans that we are called to be like Christ

(Rom.

8:28, 29), and that should be in every way possible, especially in our

thoughts

(2 Cor. 10:5), because if our thoughts are right, our words

and actions and attitudes will be too. By keeping our hearts pure, our

words and actions will be, as well.

Read

Galatians 2:20. What crucial element about how we can grow

in the Lord is revealed here?

____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

We can never grow in Christ, into Christian maturity, without a sur-

render of self. Paul talked about his being crucified so that Jesus could

live in him instead. We are no longer to follow the whims and the pas-

sions of the flesh but, rather, the commands of God. Our decisions are

no longer based only on just what we think; rather, Christ is now Lord

of our lives, and our actions should reveal His Lordship in us. This

surrender is a day-by-day process, something that must be part of our

walk with Christ. The moment we start letting self rule, sin lies at the

door, and sin leads to death.

What are some of your own experiences with surrendering to

Christ? What happens? Ho

w do y

ou feel? What are the results?

What have you learned that you could share with others who are

seeking the same experience? Share your answers with your

class on Sabbath.

101

THURSDAY

June 21

Growing in the Spirit

Jesus told Nicodemus that “ ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God

unless he is born of water and the Spirit’ ” (John 3:5, NIV). Born of

water means baptism, and born of the Spirit is conversion, which

means that the Holy Spirit comes within us at the moment of spiritual

birth. As a baby needs to grow, the newly baptized member needs to

grow in the Spirit. “ ‘When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide

you into all truth’ ” (John 16:13, NIV). This means that the Spirit has

a very important role to guide every Christian into all truth by remind-

ing us of the things that the Bible says, because the truth is the Word

of God

(John 17:17). The Spirit also has the role of convicting us

about our own spiritual condition (see John 16:8).

As we grow in Christian living, we need to grow in the Spirit.

Growing in the Spirit means that we are more and more sensitive to

His leading; we know that He is talking to us because we know the

Word of God, and the Spirit will guide us to the Word.

How

can we grow in the Spirit? Read the texts listed below. What prin-

ciples needed for spiritual growth are found there?

Matt. 5:6

____________________________________________________________________

Gal. 3:11

____________________________________________________________________

Gal. 5:16

____________________________________________________________________

2 Tim. 3:15

____________________________________________________________________

1 Pet. 3:11

____________________________________________________________________

1 John 1:9

____________________________________________________________________

Jesus in Luke 11:13 makes it clear how readily available the Holy

Spirit is for those who want Him. Yet, God never forces Himself upon

us. He has shown us who He is and what He has done for us. We, our-

selves, in our hearts, have to make the daily choices—choices of faith,

obedience, surrender, confession—that will enable us to grow in grace

and in the Spirit or that will lead us toward eternal ruin.

Is there anything in your life, such as what you read or watch or

do, that could be desensitizing you to the influence of the Holy

Spirit? What might those things be? Why not let the Holy Spirit,

right now, convict you about what you need to do regarding

these things? After all, the longer you wait, the harder it will

become even to heed His voice.

102

FRIDAY

June 22

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “Growing Up Into Christ,”

pp. 67–75 in Steps to Christ.

“The Author of this spiritual life is unseen, and the exact method by

which that life is imparted and sustained, it is beyond the power of

human philosophy to explain. Yet the operations of the Spirit are

always in harmony with the written word. As in the natural, so in the

spiritual world. The natural life is preserved moment by moment by

divine power; yet it is not sustained by a direct miracle, but through

the use of blessings placed within our reach. So the spiritual life is

sustained by the use of those means that Providence has supplied. If

the follower of Christ would grow up ‘unto a perfect man, unto the

measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:13), he

must eat of the bread of life and drink of the water of salvation. He

must watch and pray and work, in all things giving heed to the instruc-

tions of God in His word.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles,

pp. 284, 285.

“The work of educating the mind and manners may be carried for-

ward to perfection. If those who profess the truth do not now improve

their privileges and opportunities to grow up to the full stature of men

and women in Christ Jesus, they will be no honor to the cause of truth,

no honor to Christ.”—Ellen G. White,

Testimonies for the Church,

vol. 4, pp. 358, 359.

Discussion Questions:

● What practical steps can you take to help other church mem-

bers who are seeking to grow in the Lord and yet feel frustrated

at what they deem is a lack of progress? What hope and advice

can you offer them?

● As a class, go over your answers to Wednesday’s final question.

What can you learn from each other’s experiences in surrender-

ing to God?

● What are some of the biggest obstacles we face regarding spir-

itual growth? What distinctive factors in your common culture

work against spiritual growth? What are your defenses against

these factors?

tor

INSIDE

103

Joining the Opposition

Moshe lives in an isolated village in eastern India. One day Sattepondu,

a Bible worker, and a pastor arrived in Moshe’s village. The men visited

homes, introducing themselves and offering to teach the people about

Jesus. Some villagers objected to having Christians in their village. They

threw stones at the men and tried to chase them out of the village. But the

men did not leave.

Sattepondu began studying with those who wanted to know about

Christ, and soon 25 villagers came to his little study group.

But Moshe and most of the other villagers wanted nothing to do with

Christians. Moshe threw stones at Sattepondu and told the district police

that Christians were disturbing his village. The police took Sattepondu to

the station for questioning. Angry villagers filed complaints. “If these

people don’t want you in their village, why do you stay and force your reli-

gion on them?” the officer asked.

Sattepondu answered, “I am not forcing religion on these people. I sim-

ply teach those who want to learn.”

Meanwhile, when the new believers learned of Sattepondu’s arrest, they

marched to the police station to demand his release. After eight hours of

questioning, Sattepondu was released.

More villagers joined the Bible study group. When Sattepondu

announced evangelistic meetings, Moshe and his friends did not object. In

fact, Moshe attended the meetings to see what these Christians taught. He

saw the positive changes these Christians were making in the village, and

he listened to the sermons. At the end of the meetings some seventy peo-

ple were baptized, but Moshe was not among them.

While the new believers started building a small church, Sattepondu

visited those who had attended the meetings and invited them to come to

Christ. Finally Moshe stopped fighting and accepted Jesus as his Lord.

Other villagers opposed the new church and again asked the police to

stop the building. But this time Moshe stood with the Christians. He

pleaded with officials on behalf of the church and the believers in his vil-

lage. Some noticed that Moshe had switched sides and asked him why.

Moshe answered, “I have met Jesus. I know this God is the true God.”

Moshe’s village now has a small church, and the villagers once more live

in peace. Moshe once opposed Christians, but now he leads them as the

local elder of his church. Most of his family have become Christians. Today

in Moshe’s village, one out of five people is a Seventh-day Adventist.

our mission of

ferings help fund evangelism in more than two hundred

countries around the world.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

104

L ESSON

*June 23-29

The Word of God

Endures

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Mic. 6:8, John 3:14-17,

10:10, Rom. 4:21, Eph. 2:8, Phil. 4:7, 2 Pet. 3:9.

Memory Text:

“ ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is

like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of the Lord stands forever’ ”

(1 Peter 1:24, 25, NIV).

Key Thought:

The relevance of the Bible is for us today.

any ancient texts are still in existence, everything from the

Egyptian Book of the Dead to the Ugaritic legend of Keret

to the writings of Aristotle, Epictetus, and Julius Caesar. But

none of these command the kind of influence, power, and authority

that the Bible has had and still continues to have today.

Yes, the Word of God endures, even in a world of space shuttles,

high-definition television, cell phones, and laptops. And that’s

because, regardless of the many advances in science and technology,

and art and culture, we are still human beings struggling with the

same issues that humans have struggled with from the beginning.

Issues about life, death, happiness, health, morals, family—these

remain essentially unchanged across time. And the Bible’s answers to

them remains essentiall

y unchanged, as well.

This week, our final week in this quarter, we’ll look more at why the

Word of God endures.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 30.

105

SUNDAY

June 24

The Word of God Today

For many people, the Bible has no relevance now. Their reasons,

though varied, can be boiled down to (1) the Book is so old; (2) the

Book came from a relatively small group of people, the Jews; (3) the

world is so different today than in the days that the Book was written

that it can’t possibly be relevant anymore.

How

would you answer those objections?

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The problem with those arguments can be boiled down to one thing:

the premise upon which they are founded. If one believes that the

Bible is merely a human book, a book composed only by humans

expressing their own cultural ideas, then the argument would be valid.

However, as Christians, we reject that premise. We believe that the

Bible is the Word of God; we believe that God, the Creator, has spo-

ken to us through the Bible. We believe that He has revealed His will

to all humanity through the Book. That it was written long ago or writ-

ten by a small group of people or written in a world vastly different

from today—all these things make no difference if we believe that

God has spoken to us through the Bible.

Below

are some texts that address issues found in the Bible. As you

read these texts, ask yourself: (1) What issues are being

addressed? (2) How relevant are those issues to us today?

Mic. 6:8

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John 10:10

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John 17:3

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Acts 17:31

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Phil. 4:7

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Think about each of the topics listed above; if we didn’t have the

Bib

le, what answers would we have to these issues? Think how

differ

ent y

our life w

ould be w

e y

ou left without the guidance

hope, and promises offered us in the Bible. Meanwhile, what can

you do to help make what the Bible offers you more real for

our

self?

106

MONDAY

June 25

God’s Everlasting Plan

“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of

his heart through all generations” (Ps. 33:11, NIV).

What

important principle found in that text helps us understand the

relevancy of the Bible today?

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What

are the purposes of God’s heart? See John 3:14-17, 1 Tim. 2:4,

2 Pet. 3:9.

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The Bible is relevant today because the plans of God are revealed in

it; the plan of salvation has been made known to us through the Word,

and that salvation is to be for all people in every generation. “Many

are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”

(Prov. 19:21, NIV).

God is an eternal God (Deut. 33:27); He has an eternal kingdom

(Dan. 2:44); His will for us as expressed in the Bible has not changed

with the passing of time, for He never changes: “Jesus Christ is the

same yesterday and today and forever”

(Heb. 13:8, NIV). “ ‘You will

roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you

remain the same, and your years will never end’ ”

(Heb. 1:12, NIV).

Sure, times change, cultures change, attitudes change, and people

change. Change is a fact of life; we see it all around us. But God

Himself and His purposes for us remain the same.

Hence, it makes no difference that the Bible was written many cen-

turies ago, or in a different culture; what matters is that God’s love for

us, and His desire for our salvation, remains the same, all through the

ages.

This, then, is the secret of the Bible: It’s relevant today because the

God revealed in its pages is relevant today.

Think about all the changes that take place, either in your own

life or in the world around you or both. Look at how much insta-

bility there is everywhere. Amid all this, what does it mean to

ou that the Lord’s love for us and plan for our salvation never

chang

es?

What hope and assur

ance can y

ou dr

w fr

om this

important truth?

107

TUESDAY

June 26

The Eternal Cross

Perhaps the most significant reason the Bible is so relevant today is

that it is God’s chosen means of revealing to us the most important

truth we can ever know: Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the

grave. As long as this great truth is taught to us, what does it matter

how old the Bible is or who wrote it or under what circumstances?

What matters is that through it God has revealed to us the great truth

of salvation through Jesus, a truth that will endure through all eternity,

long after this old earth has vanished and a new one created. Thus, as

long as the Word of God reveals to us Christ and Him crucified, its rel-

evance for our fallen world will never end.

Look

up the following texts. What messages do they have for us? As

you read them, ask yourself, “Were it not for the Bible, where else

could I have learned the truths taught here?”

Isa. 65:17

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Matt. 24:30

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1 Cor. 6:3

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2 Cor. 5:21

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Eph. 2:8

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1 Thess. 4:16

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1 Tim. 1:15

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Titus 1:2

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Heb. 2:14

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Rev. 20:14

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Rev. 21:4

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Going o

er the te

xts listed a

, write out the scenario pre-

sented to us here. Look at what has been revealed to us in the

Bible. These are the promises we have been given. Why should

this mean so m

uch to each of us? Shar

e y

our response with your

class on Sabbath.

108

WEDNESDAY

June 27

Unbroken Promises

“ ‘Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel

just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good prom-

ises he gave through his servant Moses’ ”

(1 Kings 8:56, NIV).

The Word of God exists forever because His promises never fail.

Unlike human promises that are frequently broken, God always keeps

His.

Read

Romans 4:21. What hope is found in there for us? How have

you experienced the reality of this text?

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Read

John 16:33.What special promise is here for all of us? How have

you experienced the reality of that promise in your own life?

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Read

Matthew 28:20. How have you experienced the reality of this

promise?

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God also has given us His promises for everlasting life (John 3:15),

answers to prayer (Matt. 7:7), unlimited blessings (Mark 9:23),

removal of obstacles (Luke 17:6), spiritual fullness (John 6:35), sal-

vation (Rom. 1:16), help with temptation (Heb. 2:18), and victory

(James 4:7). “It is in these promises that Christ communicates to us

His grace and power. They are leaves from the tree that is ‘for the heal-

ing of the nations.’ Rev. 22:2. Received, assimilated, they are to be the

strength of the character, the inspiration and sustenance of the life.

Nothing else can ha

e such healing po

er.”—Ellen G. White,

The

Ministry of Healing,

p. 122.

What pr

omises ar

e y

ou still waiting for to see fulfilled? How can

you cling to the Lord in hope and trust in the meantime?

109

THURSDAY

June 28

The Bible Endures . . .

Throughout history people have made predictions about the

inevitable demise of the Bible, that it would soon fade into obscurity

and be seen as nothing but an interesting historical relic of a bygone

era, and on and on . . .

How wrong those predictions have been!

Read

Matthew 24:35. How, in a sense, did these words of Jesus pre-

dict, many centuries ago, that the Bible would be around even to

the last days?

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Besides all the attempts to destroy the Bible through violence, the

enemy of souls has tried to use science, philosophy, and higher criti-

cism to eradicate the influence of the Bible. And yet, today, millions

and millions of people believe in the Bible as God’s Word and seek to

claim its promises and live by its commands. Should this be a sur-

prise? Of course not! After all, as we have been told: “The grass with-

ereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever”

(Isa. 40:8).

Meanwhile, according to the United Bible Societies: “At the start of

the nineteenth century, Scriptures were available in just 68 languages.

Today, Scriptures are available in no less than 2,303 languages, with

the complete Bible having been translated into at least 405 languages,

and the New Testament into some 1,034. In addition, portions of the

Bible have been made available in some 864 languages.” (See

www.biblesociety.org.)

Read

1 Peter 1:24, 25. Consider that these words were written about

nearly two thousand years ago. What message is here for us,

today? How should these words help us trust in the Bible, in its

promises and in its warnings?

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The Bible endures, now and forever. The question is, What has

it done in our lives? The Word can be on our shelves, on our

desks, and even in our minds, but unless we allow it into our

hear

ts,

hat g

ood does it do? Look at y

our life

What does it say

about how you relate to the enduring Word?

110

FRIDAY

June 29

Further Study:

Ellen G. White, “The Scriptures a Safeguard,”

pp. 593–602, The Great Controversy.

“God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and

the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all

reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the

creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and dis-

cordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the

majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for

or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine

or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its sup-

port.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 595.

“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the

redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold

Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose power cre-

ated and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of

space, the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven, He whom cherub

and shining seraph delighted to adore—humbled Himself to uplift

fallen man; that He bore the guilt and shame of sin, and the hiding of

His Father’s face, till the woes of a lost world broke His heart and

crushed out His life on Calvary’s cross. That the Maker of all worlds,

the Arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside His glory and humiliate

Himself from love to man will ever excite the wonder and adoration

of the universe.”—Page 651.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, go over your responses to Tuesday’s final question.

What can you learn from each other?

● As a church family, what areas do you need to apply with more

rigor the principles found in the Bible? How can you as a class

help the church realize where it’s falling short and then help it

reach a higher standard?

● Talk about the question of Bible promises that have yet to be

fulfilled, or that look as if they can’t be fulfilled, at least as we

would like. For example: Someone prayed for a sick friend or

spouse or child who didn’t recover. How do we help each other

grapple with these situations in light of the Word of God and the

promises that we have in it?

tor

INSIDE

111

“I Don’t Want to Go”

by ELSA VELASCO

Inday is a natural leader among the students in our little school in the

mountains of the southern Philippines. She loved the Sabbath and loved

worshiping with us. Then one day she seemed sad. I could tell something

troubled her. Then she confided her problem to me. “My father does not

want me to waste an entire day in church on Sabbath,” she said, hanging

her head. “I do not dare disobey, or his fury will come down on me.”

On Sabbath morning Inday did not come to help me carry Sabbath School

materials to the church. I missed her sweet voice singing along the trails.

As my teammate and I walked toward the church carrying our materials,

we saw Inday walking quickly down the path behind her mother. She was

not dressed for church. We waved at her, but she ducked her head and hur-

ried on.

I asked a neighbor child about Inday, and she said Inday’s father had

scolded her that morning. “Inday wanted to come to Sabbath School, but

her father said she had to go with her mother to the big town down the

mountain.” We all prayed that God would be with Inday that day.

Later that evening Inday came to my hut. She told me that she and her

mother had planned to go to the city. They reached the next village where

they would catch a ride down the mountain. “But I was praying that God

would not send a jeep, so I would not dishonor the Sabbath,” Inday said

shyly. Normally several jeeps make the trip every day. But Inday and her

mother had waited all day, and no jeep came. Finally they gave up and

returned to the village empty-handed.

“Father was angry because the whole day had been wasted,” Inday said.

“But I was glad. God answered my prayer, and I did not violate the

Sabbath.”

God answered my young friend’s prayer. And He answered our prayers

for her, too. Pray that Inday’s parents will learn the importance of follow-

ing Jesus, just as their daughter has.

Your mission offerings support Mountain View College, an Adventist

college, which sends young people such as me into the mountain villages

of southern Philippines to teach the people to read and write and give them

the good news that Jesus is their Savior.

When she wrote this, Elsa Velasco was a student missionary from Mountain View College

teaching in Bugahon Mission School in the southern Philippines.

oduced b

y the General Conf

erence Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

2007

112

Bible Study Guide for the Third Quarter

This quarter’s study, For Better or Worse: Lessons From Old

Testament Couples by Gordon and Rosenita Christo, will explore the

relationships of various married couples in the Old Testament just as

its title states. The consequences of sin cause more harm than imagi-

nable. This is nowhere more evident than when it occurs in a mar-

riage. God clearly intended marriage to be a great blessing to us. This

quarter we will examine the lessons of faith, hope, trust, and love

along with what it means to be a follower of Christ in this fallen world.

Lesson 1

—Adam and Eve: The Intended Ideal

The Week at a Glance:

SUNDAY: The Image of God (Gen. 1:27, Deut. 32:11, Hos. 13:8)

MONDAY: A Suitable Helper (Gen. 2:18)

TUESDAY: Husband and Wife (1 Cor. 11:11, 12)

WEDNESDAY: Two Are Better Than One (Gen. 39:15, 18)

THURSDAY: The Curse on the Relationship (Gen. 3:16)

Memory Text—

Genesis 2:24

Sabbath Gem:

The marriage of Adam and Eve began better than

any fairy tale. God provided them with everything they needed.

After sin entered into their lives, the fairy tale became far from per-

fect. It is a powerful reminder of the detrimental cost of sin. A les-

son that clearly demonstrates how deviation from God’s will can

cause us great pain, and how our heavenly Father indeed knows how

best to supply all of our needs if we trust completely in Him.

Lesson 2

—Abraham and Sarah: Faith Tested and Tried

The Week at a Glance:

SUNDAY: Human Solutions for God’s Promise (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:3)

MONDAY: Telling Lies (Gen. 12:11-13)

TUESDAY: Laughing at God (Gen. 17:15-17)

WEDNESDAY: Trouble Because of Unbelief (Gen. 16:1-6)

THURSDAY: Ultimate Demonstration of Faith (Gen. 22:5)

Memory Text—

Hebrews 11:11

Sabbath Gem:

By delaying the birth of their promised child,

God tested Abraham and Sarah’s faith. When the pair deviate from

God’s plan for their family, serious consequences occur. Even

though this couple was faithful, they too were flawed, providing us

all hope for our relationships.

Lessons for the Visually Impaired

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